The  exchange  fee  is  five  cents  plus  one  cent  a  dayfor  every  day 
after  seven  days,  or  a  minimum  fee  of  20  cents  a  month,  with  a  max- 
imum of  25  cents  should  the  book  be  kept  out  longer. 

Bring  the  book  you  return  to  the  counter  and  pay  the  exchange  fee 
before  taking  out  another,  If  the  member  desires  to  temporarily  discon- 
tinue the  service,  the  book  should  be  turned  in  to  the  agent  and  a  receipt 
taken  for  it ;  otherwise  the  maximum  charge  of  25  cents  will  be  made 
when  the  service  is  resumed. 

The  revenue  from  exchange  fees  is  our  only  income  for  the  support  of 
this  Station,  and  if  not  sufficient  to  make  it  self-supporting  the  Manage- 
ment has  no  alternative  but  to  withdraw  and  cancel  the  Library  and  put 
it  where  it  is  in  demand  and  will  be  appreciated. 


The  agent  will  enter  the  date  when  book  is  taken  out  and  returned 


Taken  Out 

Returned 

Taken  Out 

Returned 

Taken  Out 

Returned 

41 

'  r* 

t 

o 

4 

;76I 

1 

No. 


44? 


«NPT.  OF  CALIF.  LWURY.  LOi  AftGBJB 


Seizing  St.  Aulaire  by  the  collar,  Calvert  burled  him 
backward — (/>.  796) 


CALVERT   OF 
STRATHORE 


BY 

CARTER    GOODLOE 


FRONTISPIECE   FROM  A  DRAWING 
BY   HOWARD  CHANDLER    CHRISTY 


CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 
NEW    YORK::::::::::::::::  1903 


COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


All  rights  reserved 


Published,  February,  1903 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

I.    The  Legation  at  Paris / 

//.    The  France  of  1789 14 

HI.  "  The  Lass  with  the  Delicate  Air"  .       .  19 

IV.   At  the  Palais  Royal 46 

V.    The  Private  Secretary 64 

VI.  Mr.  Calvert  Meets  Old  and  New  Friends  75 

VII.  An  Afternoon  on  the  Ice            .      .       -94 

VIII.  The   Americans   are   Made   Welcome   in 

Paris / 13 

IX.  In  which  Mr.  Calvert's   Good  Intentions 

Miscarry 136 

X.    At  Versailles 755 

XI.  Mr.  Calvert  Attends  the  King's  Levee     .  176 

XII.  The  Fourth  and  the  Fourteenth  of  July  204 

XIII.  Monsieur    de    Lafayette    Brings    Friends 

to  a  Dinner  at  the  Legation        .       .  222 

XIV.  Mr.  Calvert  Rides  Down  into  Touraine    .  232 

v 


2129736 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

XV.    Christmas  Eve  .      .       .       .       .       .       .241 

XVI.    Mr.  Cal-vert  Tries  to  Forget 

XVII.   Mr.  Calvert  Meets  an  Old  Enemy  .       .  28c 

XVIII.   Mr.  Cal-vert  Fights  a  Duel       .       .       .  285 

XIX.   In  which  an  Unlooked-for  Event  Takes 

Place 

XX.   Mr.    Calvert    Sees   a    Short    Campaign 

under  Lafayette 

XXI.    Mr.  Calvert  Quits  the  Army  and   En- 
gages in  a  Hazardous  Enterprise      . 
XXII.   Mr.  Calvert  Starts  on  a  Journey     .       .  347 

XXIII.  Within  the  Palace 358 

XXIV.  The  Tenth  of  August 366 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   LEGATION  AT  PARIS 

THERE  seemed  to  be  some  unusual  commotion,  a 
suppressed  excitement,  about  the  new  and  stately 
American  Legation  at  Paris  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d  of  February  in  the  year  of  grace  (but  not  for 
France — her  days  and  years  of  grace  were  over!) 
1789.  The  handsome  mansion  at  the  corner  of  the 
Grande  Route  des  Champs  Elysees  and  the  rue  Neuve 
de  Berry,  which  had  lately  belonged  to  Monsieur  le 
Comte  de  1'Avongeac  and  in  which  Mrr  Jefferson  had 
installed  himself  as  accredited  minister  to  France  after 
the  return  of  Dr.  Franklin  to  America,  presented  an 
appearance  different  from  its  usual  quiet. 

Across  the  courtyard,  covered  with  snow  fallen 
during  the  night,  which  glittered  and  sparkled  in 
the  brilliant  wintry  sunshine,  grooms  and  stable- 
boys  hurried  between  ecuries  and  remises,  currying 
Mr.  Jefferson's  horses  and  sponging  off  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's handsome  carriage,  with  which  he  had  provided 
himself  on  setting  up  his  establishment  as  minister 
of  the  infant  federation  of  States  to  the  court  of  the 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

sixteenth  Louis.  At  the  porter's  lodge  that  func- 
tionary frequently  left  his  little  room,  with  its  brazier 
of  glowing  coals,  and  walked  up  and  down  beneath 
the  porte-cochere,  flapping  his  arms  vigorously  in  the 
biting  wintry  air,  and  glancing  between  the  bars  of 
the  great  outer  gate  up  and  down  the  road  as  if  on 
the  lookout  for  some  person  or  persons.  In  the 
hotel  itself,  servants  moved  quickly  and  quietly 
about,  setting  everything  in  the  most  perfect  order. 

At  one  of  the  windows  which  gave  upon  the  exten- 
sive gardens,  covered,  like  all  else,  with  the  freshly 
fallen  snow,  Mr.  Jefferson  himself  could  now  and 
then  be  seen  as  he  moved  restlessly  about  the  small, 
octagonal  room,  lined  with  books  and  littered  with 
papers,  in  which  he  conducted  most  of  his  official 
business.  A  letter,  just  finished,  lay  upon  his  desk. 
'Twas  to  his  daughter  in  her  convent  of  Panthemont, 
and  full  of  that  good  advice  which  no  one  ever  knew 
how  to  give  better  than  he.  The  letter  being  folded 
and  despatched  by  a  servant,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  at 
liberty  to  indulge  his  restless  mood.  This  he  did, 
walking  up  and  down  with  his  hands  clasped  behind 
his  back,  as  was  his  fashion ;  but,  in  spite  of  the  im- 
patience of  his  manner,  a  smile,  as  of  some  secret  con- 
tentment or  happy  anticipation,  played  about  his  lips. 
At  frequent  intervals  he  would  station  himself  at  one 
of  the  windows  which  commanded  the  entrance  of  the 
hotel,  and,  looking  anxiously  out  at  the  wintry  scene, 
would  consult  the  splendid  new  watch  just  made  for 
him,  at  great  cost,  by  Monsieur  1'Epine. 

It  was  on  the  stroke  of  twelve  by  Monsieur  1'Epine's 
2 


THE   LEGATION   AT   PARIS 

watch  when  Mr.  Jefferson,  gazing  out  of  the  window 
for  the  twentieth  time  that  morning  of  February  3d, 
saw  a  large  travelling  berline  turn  in  at  the  big  grille 
and  draw  up  under  the  porte-cochere  in  front  of  the 
porter's  lodge.  In  an  instant  he  was  out  of  the  room, 
down  the  great  stairway,  and  at  the  entrance  of  the 
rez-de-chaussee,  just  as  the  postilion,  dismounting, 
opened  the  door  of  the  carriage  from  which  emerged 
a  large,  handsome  man  of  about  thirty-five  or  six, 
who  moved  with  surprising  agility  considering  the 
fact  that  he  boasted  but  one  good  leg,  the  other  mem- 
ber being  merely  a  wooden  stump.  He  was  followed 
by  a  younger  man,  who  sprang  out  and  waited  respect- 
fully, but  eagerly,  until  Mr.  Jefferson  had  welcomed 
his  companion. 

"  Mr.  Morris ! — my  dear  sir !  welcome  to  Paris ! 
welcome  to  this  little  spot  of  America !  "  said  Mr. 
Jefferson,  shaking  the  older  man  cordially  by  the  hand 
again  and  again  and  drawing  him  toward  the  open 
door.  And  then  passing  quickly  out  upon  the  step 
to  where  the  young  man  still  stood  looking  on  at  this 
greeting,  Mr.  Jefferson  laid  a  hand  affectionately 
on  his  shoulder  and  looked  into  the  young  eyes. 

"  My  dear  boy,  my  dear  Calvert !  "  he  exclaimed 
with  emotion,  "  I  cannot  tell  you  how  welcome  you 
are,  nor  how  I  thank  you  for  obeying  my  request  to 
come  to  me !  " 

'  The  kindest  command  I  could  have  received,  sir/' 
replied  the  young  man,  much  moved  by  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's affectionate  words  and  manner. 

Turning,  and  linking  an  arm  in  that  of  each  of  his 
3 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

guests,  Mr.  Jefferson  led  them  into  the  house,  followed 
by  the  servants  carrying  their  travelling  things. 

"  Ah !  we  will  bring  back  Virginia  days  in  the  midst 
of  this  turbulent,  mad  Paris.  Tis  a  wild,  bad  place 
I  have  brought  you  to,  Ned,"  he  said,  turning  to  the 
young  gentleman,  "  but  it  must  all  end  in  good — surely, 
surely."  Mr.  Jefferson's  happy  mood  seemed  sud- 
denly to  cloud  over,  and  he  spoke  absently  and  almost 
as  if  reassuring  himself.  "  But  come,"  he  added, 
brightening  up,  "  I  will  not  talk  of  such  things  before 
we  are  fairly  in  the  house!  Welcome  again,  Mr. 
Morris !  Welcome,  Mr.  Secretary !  " — he  turned  to 
Calvert — "  It  seems  strange,  but  most  delightful,  to 
have  you  here."  Talking  in  such  fashion,  he  hurried 
them  up  the  great  stairway  as  fast  as  Mr.  Morris's 
wooden  leg  would  permit,  and  into  his  private  study. 

"  Ha !  a  fire !  "  said  Mr.  Morris,  sinking  down  lux- 
uriously in  a  chair  before  the  blazing  logs.  "  I  had 
almost  forgot  what  the  sight  of  one  was  like,  and  I 
was  beginning  to  wish  that  this  " — he  looked  down 
and  tapped  his  sound  leg,  laughing  a  little  whimsi- 
cally, "  were  wood,  too.  I  would  have  suffered  less 
with  the  cold !  " 

"  I  am  sure  you  must  have  had  a  bitter  journey 
from  Havre,"  rejoined  Mr.  Jefferson.  "  Tis  the 
coldest  winter  France  has  known  for  eighty  years — 
the  hardest,  cruellest  winter  the  poor  of  this  great 
city,  of  this  great  country,  can  remember.  Would  to 
God  it  were  over  and  the  spring  here !  " 

"  I  should  imagine  that  it  had  not  been  any  too 
pleasant  even  for  the  rich,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  shivering 

4 


slightly.  But  Mr.  Jefferson  paid  no  attention  to  the 
sufferings  of  the  rich  suggested  by  Mr.  Morris,  and 
only  stirred  the  blazing  logs  uneasily. 

"  At  any  rate  it  serves  to  make  our  welcome  here 
seem  the  warmer,  sir,"  said  Calvert,  from  where  he 
stood  divesting  himself  of  his  many-caped  top-coat. 

"  Ah !  that  is  spoken  like  you,  Ned !  But  stand 
forth,  sir!  Let  me  see  if  you  are  changed,  if  four 
years  at  the  College  of  Princeton  have  made  another 
fellow  of  my  old  Calvert  of  Strathore."  He  went 
over  to  the  young  man  and  drew  him  into  the  middle 
of  the  room,  where  the  cold,  brilliant  sunshine  struck 
full  on  the  fine  young  face.  There  was  no  shadow 
or  line  upon  it. 

"  You  are  much  grown,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson, 
thoughtfully,  "  much  taller,  but  'tis  the  same  slender, 
athletic  figure,  and  the  eyes  and  brow  and  mouth  are 
not  changed,  thank  God !  " 

"  Is  there  no  improvement,  sir  ?  Can  you  note  no 
change  for  the  better  ?  "  said  Calvert,  laughing,  and 
attempting  to  cover  his  embarrassment,  at  the  close 
scrutiny  he  was  undergoing.  "  But  I  fear  not.  I 
fear  my  college  life  has  left  as  little  impress  on  my 
mind  as  on  my  body.  I  shall  never  be  a  scholar  like 
you,  sir,"  he  added,  with  a  sigh. 

"  And  yet,  in  spite  of  your  disinclination  to  study, 
you  have  gone  through  college,  and  most  creditably. 
Dr.  Witherspoon  himself  has  written  me  of  your 
career.  Does  that  say  nothing  in  your  favor  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  it  does,"  broke  in  Mr.  Morris,  laugh- 
ing. "  There  is  no  merit  in  being  a  scholar  like  Mr. 

5 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Jefferson  here,  who  was  born  a  student.  He  couldn't 
have  helped  being  a  scholar  if  he  had  tried.  But  for 
you,  Mr.  Calvert,  who  dislike  study,  to  have  made 
yourself  stick  to  the  college  curriculum  for  four 
years,  I  consider  a  great  and  meritorious  achieve- 
ment ! " 

"  I  agree  with  you  entirely,  Mr.  Morris,"  said  Mr. 
Jefferson,  joining  in  the  laugh,  "  and  as  for  that, 
Ned  has  done  more  than  merely  stick  to  the  curricu- 
lum of  the  college.  Dr.  Witherspoon,  in  writing  me 
of  his  progress,  was  pleased  to  say  many  compli- 
mentary things  of  several  excursions  into  verse  which 
he  has  made.  He  especially  commended  his  lines 
on  '  A  View  of  Princeton  College,'  written  something 
after  the  manner  of  Mr.  Gray's  *  Ode  on  a  Distant 
Prospect  of  Eton  College.'  " 

"What!"  said  Mr.  Morris,  "an  ode  on  'A 
View  of  Princeton  College' !  My  dear  Mr.  Calvert, 
couldn't  a  young  man  of  your  years  find  a  more 
inspiring  theme  than  a  college  building  to  write  upon  ? 
Instead  of  an  alma  mater,  you  should  have  chosen 
some  filia  pulchra  to  make  verses  to,"  and  he  gave 
Mr.  Jefferson  a  quizzical  look. 

"  I  agree  with  you  again,  Mr.  Morris,"  said  that 
gentleman,  laughing  heartily,  "  and  I  think  that  you 
and  I  would  have  made  no  such  mistake  at  Ned's 
age,"  and  he  sighed  a  little  as  he  thought  of  the  gay 
pleasures  of  his  own  youth,  the  dances  and  walks  and 
talks  with  "  Belinda,"  and  his  poetic  effusions  to  her 
and  many  another. 

"  Nor  even  at  our  own,"  objected  Mr.  Morris.  "  I 
6 


THE   LEGATION  AT  PARIS 

assure  you  I  feel  myself  quite  capable  of  composing 
verses  to  fair  ones  yet,  Mr.  Jefferson."  And  indeed 
he  was,  and  rhymed  his  way  gayly  to  the  heart  of 
many  a  lady  in  the  days  to  come. 

As  for  Calvert,  he  only  smiled  at  the  light  banter 
at  his  expense,  scarcely  understanding  it,  indeed,  for  as 
yet  he  carried  a  singularly  untouched  heart  about  in 
his  healthy  young  body. 

Mr.  Morris  arose.  "  I  must  be  going,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  sent  my  things  on  to  the  Hotel  de  Richelieu — " 
but  Mr.  Jefferson  pressed  him  back  into  his  seat. 

"  You  are  my  guest  for  the  day,"  he  declared,  inter- 
rupting him,  "  and  must  take  your  first  breakfast 
with  Ned  and  myself  here  at  the  Legation.  I  will 
send  you  around  to  the  rue  de  Richelieu  in  my  carriage 
later  on.  I  have  a  thousand  questions  to  ask  you. 
I  must  have  all  the  news  from  America — how  fares 
General  Washington,  and  my  friend,  James  Madison, 
and  pretty  Miss  Molly  Crenshawe? — there's  a  lovely 
woman  for  you,  Ned,  in  the  bud,  'tis  true,  but  likely 
to  blossom  into  a  perfect  rose.  There  is  but  one 
beauty  in  all  Paris  to  compare  with  her,  I  think.  And 
that  is  the  sister  of  your  old  friend  d'Azay.  And 
what  does  Patrick  Henry  and  Pendleton  these  days? 
I  hear  that  Hamilton  holds  strange  views  about  the 
finances  and  has  spoken  of  them  freely  in  Congress. 
What  are  they?  My  letters  give  me  no  details  as 
yet."  And  more  and  more  questions  during  the 
abundant  breakfast  which  had  been  spread  for  them 
in  the  morning-room  adjoining  Mr.  Jefferson's  library. 
Now  it  was  a  broadside  of  inquiries  aimed  at  Mr. 

7 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

Gouverneur  Morris  concerning  the  newly  adopted 
Constitution  which  he  had  helped  fashion  for  the 
infant  union  of  States  and  the  chances  of  electing 
General  Washington  as  first  president  of  that  union; 
now  it  was  question  after  question  regarding  Dr. 
Franklin's  reception  in  America  on  his  return  from 
France  and  release  from  his  arduous  duties  and  the 
vexatious  persecutions  to  which  he  had  been  subjected 
by  his  former  colleagues — the  most  outrageous  and 
unprovoked  that  ever  man  suffered — and  there  were 
endless  inquiries  about  personal  friends,  about  the 
currency  in  America,  and  about  the  feeling  of  security 
and  tranquillity  of  the  States. 

The  breakfast,  generous  as  it  was,  was  over  long 
before  Mr.  Jefferson  had  tired  of  his  questioning,  and 
they  were  still  sitting  around  the  table  talking  when  a 
visitor  was  announced.  It  was  Monsieur  le  Vicomte 
de  Beaufort,  Lafayette's  young  kinsman  and  officer  in 
the  American  war,  who  came  in  directly,  bowing  to 
Mr.  Morris,  whom  he  had  known  well  in  America, 
and  embracing  Calvert  with  a  friendly  fervor  that 
almost  five  years  of  separation  had  not  diminished. 
He  had  known  of  his  coming  through  Mr.  Jefferson, 
and,  happening  to  pass  the  hotel,  had  stopped  to 
inquire  at  the  porter's  lodge  whether  the  travellers  had 
arrived. 

'  Tis  a  thousand  pities  d'Azay  is  not  here  to  wel- 
come you,  too,  my  dear  Calvert,"  he  said,  regretfully, 
"  but  he  will  be  back  to-morrow  with  his  aunt,  the  old 
Duchess,  and  his  sister.  He  is  gone  down  to  Azay- 
le-Roi,  his  chateau  near  Tours,  to  fetch  them.  But 

8 


THE   LEGATION   AT   PARIS 

come !  I  am  all  impatience  to  show  you  a  little  of 
my  Paris.  We  won't  wait  for  d'Azay's  return  to 
begin,  and  I  am  sure  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Morris 
will  excuse  you  for  a  few  hours.  Is  it  not  so,  gentle- 
men ? "  He  looked  around  at  the  two  older  men. 
"  Calvert  has  shown  me  Virginia.  I  long  to  return 
the  compliment  and  show  him  this  little  piece  of 
France !  " 

"  But  first,"  objected  Mr.  Jefferson,  "  I  should  like 
to  show  him  the  Embassy.  Come,  gentlemen,  we 
will  make  a  rapid  tour  of  the  apartments  before  you 
set  out  on  your  larger  explorations."  And,  leading 
the  way,  he  began  to  point  out  the  public  and  private 
apartments,  the  state  dining-room,  with  its  handsome 
service  of  silver  plate,  the  view  of  the  large  gardens 
from  the  windows,  the  reception-hall,  the  doorways, 
the  great  staircase  ornamented  with  sculptured  sala- 
manders, for  Monsieur  de  TAvongeac's  ancestors  had 
built  the  house  during  the  reign  of  Francois  I.  and 
had  adorned  it  everywhere  with  the  King's  insignia. 
'Twas  a  very  magnificent  hotel,  for  Mr.  Jefferson  had 
been  unwilling  to  jeopardize  the  fortunes  of  the  new 
republic  by  installing  its  legation  in  mean  quarters, 
and  it  was  eminently  well  arranged  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  the  brilliant  society  that  gathered  so  frequently 
by  his  invitation. 

\Yhen  they  had  made  the  tour  of  the  establishment 
and  had  reached  the  head  of  the  great  stairway  again, 
Mr.  Jefferson  dismissed  the  two  young  men  with  a 
final  injunction  to  return  soon,  as  he  had  much  to 
talk  over  with  Calvert.  As  the  clanging  door  shut 

9 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

upon  them,  the  two  older  men  turned  and  went  into 
Mr.  Jefferson's  study. 

"  I  have  to  thank  you,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  seating  himself  once  more  before  the  crack- 
ling fire,  "  for  a  most  pleasant  acquaintance.  I  will 
confess  now  that  when  you  wrote  me  suggesting  that 
your  new  secretary  should  make  the  journey  to  France 
with  me,  I  was  scarcely  pleased.  Tis  a  long  trip  to 
make  in  the  company  of  one  who  may  not  be  wholly 
congenial.  But  from  the  moment  Mr.  Calvert  pre- 
sented himself  to  me  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  eve  of  our 
sailing,  until  now,  I  can  truly  say  I  have  enjoyed 
every  instant  of  his  companionship.  I  had  heard 
something  of  him — much,  indeed — from  General 
Washington  and  Mr.  Hamilton,  but  I  was  wholly 
unprepared  to  find  so  sincere,  so  intelligent  a  young 
gentleman.  There  is  a  strength,  a  fine  reserve  about 
him  which  appeals  greatly  to  me." 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson,  gratefully.  "  I 
love  him  as  though  he  were  my  son,  and  any  praise 
of  him  is  dear  to  me.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  want 
him  near  me?  Besides,  'tis  imperative  that  I  have 
a  private  secretary.  Mr.  Short,  our  secretary  of 
Legation,  who  is  now  in  Italy  travelling  for  his 
health,  like  myself,  is  overworked;  there  are  a  thou- 
sand affairs  to  be  attended  to  each  day,  and  so  little 
method  in  our  arrangements  as  yet;  our  instructions 
and  remittances  from  Congress  are  so  irregular,  our 
duties  so  confounded  with  mere  courtesies,  that  we 
make  but  little  progress.  Besides  which  the  state 
of  affairs  in  this  country  renders  all  diplomatic  and 

10 


THE   LEGATION   AT  PARIS 

business  relations  very  slow  and  uncertain — I  might 
say  hazardous —  He  stopped  and  looked  thought- 
fully into  the  fire. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  quickly. 
"  I  came  over  on  business  myself.  And  on  business 
not  only  for  myself,  but  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Robert 
Morris  and  of  Constable  &  Co.,  of  New  York  City. 
As  you  probably  know,  we  have  made  large  ship- 
ments of  tobacco,  contracted  for  by  several  farmers- 
general,  but  such  has  been  the  delay  in  delivery  and 
payment  after  reaching  this  country  that  we  deemed 
it  absolutely  necessary  to  have  someone  over  here 
to  attend  to  the  matter.  At  Havre  I  found  affairs 
irregular  and  prices  low  and  fluctuating.  I  was 
hoping  the  markets  would  be  steadier  and  quieter  in 
Paris." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  not  find  it  so,"  replied  Mr. 
Jefferson,  shaking  his  head.  "  I  am  persuaded  that 
this  country  is  on  the  eve  of  some  great  change — 
some  great  upheaval.  I  see  it  in  the  faces  of  those 
I  meet  in  the  salons  of  the  rich  and  noble ;  I  see  it  in 
the  faces  of  the  common  people  in  the  streets — above 
all,  I  see  it  in  the  faces  of  the  people  in  the  streets." 

Again  he  stopped  and  looked  thoughtfully  into  the 
blazing  fire.  Mr.  Morris's  keen  eyes  fastened  them- 
selves on  the  finely  chiselled  face  opposite  him,  aglow 
with  a  prophetic  light.  "  I  would  be  obliged,"  he 
said  at  length,  "  if  you  would  give  me  some  detailed 
account  of  the  state  of  this  government  and  country. 
I  should  like  to  know  just  where  I  stand.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  three  thousand  miles,  and  with  slow  and  ir- 

II 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

regular  packets  as  the  only  means  of  communication, 
we  in  America  have  but  an  imperfect  and  tardy  con- 
ception of  what  is  going  on  in  this  country."  He 
poured  out  a  small  glass  of  cognac  from  a  decanter 
which  stood  on  a  table  at  his  elbow,  and,  settling  him- 
self comfortably  in  his  chair,  prepared  to  listen. 

It  was  a  long  story  that  Mr.  Jefferson  had  to  tell 
him — a  story  with  many  minute  details  touching  the 
delicate  relations  between  France  and  America,  with 
many  explanations  of  the  events  which  had  just  taken 
place  in  Paris  and  the  provinces,  with  many  forecast- 
ings  of  events  shortly  to  take  place  in  the  kingdom 
of  Louis  XVI.  Perhaps  it  was  in  the  forecasting 
of  those  events  so  soon  to  take  place,  of  those  acts 
of  the  multitude,  as  yet  undreamed  of  by  the  very 
doers  of  them,  that  Mr.  Jefferson  most  deeply 
impressed  his  listener.  For  there  was  no  attribute 
of  Mr.  Jefferson's  mind  so  keen,  so  unerring,  so  force- 
ful as  that  peculiar  power  of  divining  the  drift  of 
the  masses.  It  was  this  power  which  later  made  him 
so  greatly  feared  and  greatly  respected  in  his  own 
land.  Forewarned  and  forearmed,  he  had  but  to  range 
himself  at  the  head  of  multitudes,  whose  will  he  knew 
almost  before  they  were  aware  of  it  themselves,  or 
else  to  stand  aside,  and,  unscathed,  let  it  pass  him  by 
in  all  its  turbulence  and  strength.  But  though  he 
could  foresee  the  trend  of  events,  his  judgment  was 
not  infallible  as  to  their  values  and  consequences. 
Even  as  he  spoke  of  the  disquieting  progress  of  affairs, 
even  as  he  predicted  the  yet  more  serious  turn  they 
were  to  take,  his  countenance  expressed  a  boundless, 

12 


THE   LEGATION   AT   PARIS 

if   somewhat   vaguely   defined,   belief   and  happiness 
in  the  future. 

The  glow  of  enthusiasm  was  not  at  all  reflected 
in  the  keen,  attentive  face  of  the  younger  man  opposite 
him,  whose  look  of  growing  disquietude  betrayed 
the  fact  that  he  did  not  share  Mr.  Jefferson's  hopes 
or  sympathies.  Indeed,  it  was  inevitable  that  these 
two  men  of  genius  should  hold  dissimilar  views  about 
the  struggle  which  the  one  had  so  clearly  divined 
was  to  come  and  of  which  the  other  so  clearly  com- 
prehended the  consequences.  It  was  inevitable  that 
the  man  who  had  the  sublime  audacity  to  proclaim 
unfettered  liberty  and  equality  to  a  new  world  should 
differ  radically  from  the  man  whose  supreme  achieve- 
ment had  been  the  fashioning  and  welding  of  its  laws. 
They  talked  together  until  the  wintry  sun  suddenly 
suffered  an  eclipse  behind  the  mountains  of  gray 
clouds  which  had  been  threatening  to  fall  upon  it 
all  the  afternoon,  and  only  the  light  from  the  crackling 
logs  remained  to  show  the  bright  enthusiasm  of  Mr. 
Jefferson's  noble  face  and  the  sombre  shadow  upon 
Mr.  Morris's  disturbed  one. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   FRANCE  OF    1789 

•FRANCE  was  sick.  A  great  change  and  fever  had 
fallen  upon  her,  and  there  was  no  physician  near 
skilled  enough  to  cure  her.  Now  and  then  one  of 
her  sons  would  look  upon  the  pale,  wasted  features 
and  note  the  rapidly  throbbing  pulse,  the  wild  ravings 
of  the  disordered  brain,  and,  frightened  and  despond- 
ent, would  hurry  away  to  consult  with  his  brothers 
what  should  be  done.  But  never  to  any  good.  Medi- 
cines were  tried  which  had  been  potent  with  others 
in  like  sickness,  but  they  seemed  only  to  increase  her 
delirium  or  lessen  her  vitality — never  to  bring  her 
strength  and  reason.  Day  by  day  she  grew  worse. 
'Twas  as  if  some  quick  poison  were  working  in  her 
veins,  until  at  last  the  poor  body  was  one  mass  of 
swollen  disfigurements,  of  putrid  sores,  that  only  a 
miracle  from  Heaven  could  heal.  As  miracles  could 
not  be  looked  for,  everyone  who  had  any  skill  in  such 
desperate  cases  was  called,  and  a  thousand  different 
opinions  were  given,  a  thousand  different  cures  tried. 
And  when  all  was  seen  to  have  been  in  vain,  her 
tortured  children,  in  their  despair,  left  her  and  turned 
upon  the  false  physicians,  putting  them  to  death  and 
with  ferocious  joy  avenging  her  agonies.  And  in  the 
quiet  which  thus  fell  upon  her,  when  all  had  left  her 

14 


THE   FRANCE    OF    1789 

to  die,  the  fever  and  pain  vanished ;  from  her  opened 
veins  the  poisoned  blood  dropped  away;  to  the 
blinded  eyes  sight  returned;  in  the  distracted  brain 
reason  once  more  held  sway.  Slowly  and  faintly  she 
arose  and  went  about  her  business. 

It  was  of  that  fast-sickening  France,  of  that 
blighted  land  of  France,  that  Mr.  Jefferson  spoke  so 
earnestly  in  the  gathering  darkness  of  that  winter's 
day  in  the  year  1789.  The  storm  which  had  just 
swept  over  the  American  colonies  had  passed,  leaving 
wrecks  strewn  from  shore  to  shore,  'tis  true,  but  a  land 
fairer  and  greater  than  ever,  a  people  tried  by  adver- 
sity and  made  strong.  The  tempest,  which  had  been  so 
gallantly  withstood  by  our  ably  manned  ship  of  state, 
had  blown  across  the  Atlantic  and  was  beating  upon  the 
unprotected  shores  of  France.  The  storm  was  gather- 
ing fast  in  that  most  famous  year  of  1789 — the  alpha 
and  omega  of  French  history,  the  ending  of  all  things 
old,  the  beginning  of  all  things  new,  for  France.  Two 
years  before  the  bewildered  Assemblee  des  Notables 
had  met  and  had  been  dismissed  to  spread  their  agita- 
tion and  disaffection  throughout  all  France  by  the  still 
more  bewildered  Lomenie  de  Brienne,  who  was  trying 
his  hand  at  the  impossible  finances  of  France  after 
the  fall  of  that  magnificent  spendthrift,  Monsieur 
Colonne.  He,  in  turn,  had  been  swept  from  his  office 
and  replaced  by  the  pompous  and  incompetent  Necker. 
Lafayette,  the  dens  ex  machina  of  the  times,  had 
asked  for  his  States-General,  and  now  in  this  never- 
sufficiently-to-be-remembered  year  of  1789  they  were 
to  be  convoked. 

15 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

All  France  was  disquieted  by  the  elections — nay, 
more,  agitated  and  agitating.  Men  who  had  never 
thought  before  were  thinking  now,  and,  as  was 
inevitable  to  such  unused  intellects,  were  thinking 
badly.  For  the  first  time  the  common  people  were 
permitted  to  think.  For  the  first  time  they  were 
allowed,  even  urged,  to  look  into  their  wretched  hearts 
and  tell  their  lord  and  king  what  grievances  they 
found  there.  What  wonder  that  when  the  ashes  were 
raked  from  the  long-smouldering  fires  of  envy,  of 
injustice,  of  oppression,  of  extortion,  of  misrule  of 
every  conceivable  sort,  they  sprang  into  fierce  flame? 
What  wonder  that  when  the  bonds  of  silence  were 
loosed  from  their  miserable  mouths,  such  a  wild 
clamor  went  up  to  Heaven  as  made  the  king  tremble 
upon  his  throne  and  his  ministers  shake  with  fear? 
Who  could  tell  at  what  moment  this  unlooked-for, 
unprecedented  clemency  might  be  withdrawn  and 
silence  once  more  be  sealed  upon  them?  What  won- 
der, then,  that  they  made  the  most  of  their  opportu- 
nity ?  What  wonder  that,  suddenly  finding  themselves 
strong,  who  had  been  weak,  they  did  make  the  most 
of  it? 

The  world  seemed  topsy-turvy.  Strange  ideas  and 
theories  were  being  written  and  talked  about.  Physical 
science  had  been  revolutionized.  People  suddenly  dis- 
covered that  what  they  had  held  all  their  lives  to  be 
facts  were  entire  misconceptions  of  the  truth.  And, 
if  they  had  been  so  mistaken  about  the  facts  of  physical 
science,  might  they  not  be  equally  mistaken  about 
theology,  about  law,  about  politics?  Everywhere  was 

16 


THE   FRANCE    OF    1789 

doubt  and  questioning.  Revolution  was  in  the  air.  It 
was  the  fashion,  and  the  young  French  officers 
returned  from  the  War  of  Independence  in  the  Ameri- 
can colonies  found  themselves  alike  the  heroes  of 
the  common  people  and  of  the  fashionable  world. 

True  to  its  nature,  the  nobility  played  with  revo- 
lution as  it  had  played  with  everything  from  the 
beginning  of  time.  It  played  with  reform,  with  sug- 
gestions to  abandon  its  privileges,  its  titles,  with  the 
freedom  of  the  newly  born  press,  with  the  preroga- 
tives of  the  crown,  with  the  tiers  etat,  with  life,  liberty, 
and  happiness.  It  was  a  dangerous  game,  and  in  the 
danger  lay  its  fascination.  Society  felt  its  founda- 
tions shake,  and  the  more  insecure  it  felt  itself  to  be 
the  more  feverish  seemed  its  desire  to  enjoy  life  to  the 
dregs,  to  seize  upon  that  fleet-footed  Pleasure  who 
ever  kept  ahead  of  her  pursuers.  There  was  a  con- 
stant succession  of  balls,  dramatic  fetes,  dinner-parties, 
of  official  entertainments  by  the  members  of  the 
diplomatic  corps  in  this  volcanic  year  of  1789.  The 
ministers  of  Louis's  court,  being  at  their  wits'  end 
to  know  what  was  to  be  done  to  allay  the  disturb- 
ances, were  of  the  mind  that  they  could  and  would, 
at  least,  enjoy  themselves.  The  King  having  always 
been  at  his  wits'  end  was  not  conscious  of  being  in  any 
unusual  or  dangerous  position.  As  short-sighted  men- 
tally as  he  was  physically,  he  saw  in  the  popular  excite- 
ment of  the  times  nothing  to  dread.  Conscious  of 
his  own  good  intentions  toward  his  people,  he  saw 
nothing  in  their  ever-increasing  demands  but  evidences 
of  a  spirit  of  progress  which  he  was  the  first  to 

17 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

applaud.  Unmindful  of  the  fact  that  "  the  most 
dangerous  moment  for  a  bad  government  is  the 
moment  when  it  meddles  with  reform,"  he  yielded 
everything.  The  nobles,  noting  with  bitterness  his 
concessions  to  the  tiers  etat,  told  themselves  that  their 
King  had  abandoned  them ;  the  common  people,  sus- 
picious and  bewildered,  told  themselves  that  their 
King  was  but  deceiving  them.  The  King,  informed 
of  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  nobility  and  the  ingrati- 
tude of  the  masses,  vacillated  between  his  own  generous 
impulses  and  the  despotic  demands  of  the  court  party. 
By  the  King's  weakness,  more  than  by  all  else,  were 
loosened  the  foundations  of  that  throne  of  France, 
already  tottering  under  its  long-accumulated  weight 
of  injustice,  of  mad  extravagance,  of  dissoluteness, 
of  bloody  crime. 

Nature  herself  seemed  to  be  in  league  with  the  dis- 
content of  the  times.  A  long  drouth  in  the  summer, 
which  had  made  the  poor  harvests  poorer  still,  was 
followed  by  that  famous  winter  of  1789 — that  winter 
of  merciless,  of  unexampled,  cold  for  France.  And 
in  the  heat  of  that  long  summer  and  in  the  cold  of 
that  still  longer  winter,  the  storm  gathered  fast  which 
was  to  rise  higher  and  higher  until  it  should  beat  upon 
the  very  throne  itself,  and  all  that  was  left  of  honor 
and  justice  in  France  should  perish  therein. 


CHAPTER  III 

"  THE   LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE  AIR  " 

IT  was  to  that  unhappy  land  of  France  that  Mr. 
Jefferson  had  come  almost  five  years  before  on  a  mis- 
sion for  Congress.  For  some  time  it  had  been  the 
most  cherished  design  of  that  body  of  patriots  to  estab- 
lish advantageous  commercial  treaties  with  the  Euro- 
pean powers,  thereby  securing  to  America  not  only  ma- 
terial prosperity,  but,  more  important  still,  forcing  our 
recognition  as  a  separate  and  independent  power,  and 
creating  for  the  new  confederation  of  states  a  place 
among  the  brotherhood  of  nations.  Confident  that 
Mr.  Jefferson's  astuteness,  erudition,  and  probity 
would  make  a  powerful  impression  upon  those  whom 
it  was  so  much  to  our  interest  to  attach  to  us,  Con- 
gress had,  on  the  7th  day  of  May,  1784,  appointed 
him  Minister  Plenipotentiary  for  the  negotiation  of 
foreign  commercial  treaties.  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr. 
Adams,  his  co-workers,  were  already  eagerly  await- 
ing him  in  Paris. 

But,  great  as  was  Mr.  Jefferson's  patriotic  interest 
in  the  cause  he  was  to  represent  at  the  court  of  Louis 
XVI.,  his  exile  from  Monticello  was  very  painful  to 
him.  The  recent  death  of  his  wife  there,  and  the 
youth  of  the  two  children  he  was  to  leave,  bound 
him  to  the  place.  Having  also  very  clearly  in  mind 

19 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

Mr.  Jay's  and  Dr.  Franklin's  disappointments  and 
bickerings  in  London  in  the  same  cause  of  commer- 
cial treaties,  he  looked  forward  with  growing  dis- 
taste to  the  difficulties  and  diplomatic  struggles  before 
him ;  for  Mr.  Jefferson  was  always  more  ready  to  lead 
than  to  combat.  Perhaps,  too,  he  did  not  relish  the 
idea  that  although  in  his  own  country  no  one  was 
more  generally  famed  for  talents  and  learning  than 
himself,  in  Paris,  amid  that  brilliant  throng  of  sa- 
vants  and  courtiers,  he  would  be  but  a  simple  Virginia 
gentleman  without  prestige  or  reputation.  And,  more- 
over, he  feared  that  his  plain,  democratic  manners  and 
principles — which  he  scorned  to  alter  for  anyone — 
would  be  but  ill-suited  to  the  courtly  life  of  Versailles. 
For  it  must  be  owned  that  Mr.  Jefferson's  democracy, 
like  his  learning,  was  a  trifle  ostentatious,  and  became 
more  so  as  he  grew  older.  Surely,  though,  such 
blemishes  are  not  incompatible  with  greatness  of 
character,  but  only  serve  to  make  a  great  man  more 
lovable  and  human.  And  as  for  Mr.  Jefferson,  if  he 
had  not  been  blessed  with  some  such  harmless  frailties, 
he  had  seemed  almost  more  than  mortal  with  his  great 
learning,  his  profound,  if  often  impracticable,  philoso- 
phy, and  his  deathless  patriotism.  Such  as  he  was, 
Mr.  Jefferson  was  greatly  beloved,  and  many  of  his 
warmest  friends  and  admirers  foregathered  at  Mon- 
ticello  on  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  May,  1784,  to  bid 
him  farewell  ere  he  should  set  out  the  next  day  on 
his  long  journey  to  Boston,  from  which  port  he  was 
to  sail  for  France.  As  he  stood  on  the  north  portico 
of  Monticello,  awaiting  his  guests  and  looking  long 

20 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE    DELICATE   AIR" 

and  lovingly  at  the  beautiful  view  of  mountain  and 
valley  spread  before  him,  he  made  a  striking,  not 
easily  forgotten,  picture.  The  head,  lightly  thrown 
back,  with  its  wavy,  sandy  hair  worn  short,  and  the 
finely  chiselled  profile  were  cameo-like  in  their  classi- 
cal regularity.  The  lithe,  meagre  form,  well  dressed 
in  blackcloth  coat  and  knee  breeches,  white  waistcoat 
and  ruffles  of  finest  linen,  black  silk  stockings  and 
silver-buckled  shoes,  was  energetic,  graceful,  and 
well  proportioned.  With  such  a  physique  it  was  not 
wonderful  that  Mr.  Jefferson  was  famous  as  shot, 
horseman,  and  athlete,  even  among  such  noted  sports- 
men as  Virginia  could  boast  of  by  the  score  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Suddenly  he  low- 
ered his  head  and,  withdrawing  his  gaze  from  the 
mountains,  looked  about  him  with  an  impatient  little 
sigh. 

"  I  am  a  savage !  Savage  enough  to  prefer  the 
woods  and  streams  and  independence  of  my  Monti- 
cello  to  all  the  brilliant  pleasures  which  Paris  will 
offer  me.  I  could  find  it  in  my  heart  to  wish  that  Con- 
gress had  never  urged  upon  me  this  mission  abroad. 
But  I  have  always  tried  to  serve  my  country  at  my 
country's  call,  and  I  shall  continue  to  serve  her,  though 
it  take  me  from  home  and  family  and  friends.  In- 
stead of  repining  at  this  exile  to  France — for  how  long 
I  do  not  know — I  should  be  thankful  for  this  last 
beautiful  evening  at  Monticello  and  for  the  friends  who 
are  come  to  bid  me  farewell.  I  wonder  that  the  Mar- 
quis does  not  arrive.  I  have  much  of  importance  to 
discuss  with  him." 

21 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Mr.  Jefferson  had  no  greater  admirer  than  the  Mar- 
quis de  Lafayette,  whose  arrival  he  so  impatiently 
awaited.  He  had  affairs  of  weight  to  talk  over 
with  the  young  Frenchman — letters  of  introduction 
to  statesmen  with  whom  Lafayette  was  most  intimate, 
notes  on  commercial  affairs  of  France,  messages  to 
friends,  drafts  on  bankers  in  Paris,  and  a  host  of 
details  on  the  present  state  of  politics  in  France  with 
which  he  wished  to  become  acquainted  before  pre- 
senting himself  at  the  French  court,  and  which  La- 
fayette, but  lately  returned  from  France,  could  amply 
furnish  him.  And  after  business  should  have  been 
finished,  Mr.  Jefferson  was  looking  forward  with 
keen  delight  to  all  that  the  observant,  cultured  young 
nobleman  might  have  to  tell  him  of  the  progress  in 
the  Parisian  world  of  sciences,  art,  and  music  (for 
Mr.  Jefferson  was  an  amateur  of  music),  and  of 
those  adventures  which  had  attended  his  triumphal 
return  to  America.  'Twas  at  General  Washington's 
invitation  that  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  was  re-visiting, 
after  only  three  years'  absence,  the  greatful  states 
where  he  had  first,  and  so  gloriously,  embarked  in 
the  cause  of  liberty,  and  the  warmth  of  his  welcome 
at  Mount  Vernon — where  indeed  Mr.  Jefferson's  note, 
inviting  him  to  Monticello,  reached  him — would  alone 
have  repaid  him  for  the  long  journey  had  all  other 
honors  been  denied  him.  But  his  progress  through 
the  states  had  been  one  triumph,  marked  by  lavish 
fetes  and  civic  parades,  not  so  magnificent,  it  is  true, 
as  those  tendered  him  on  his  last  visit  to  our  coun- 
try, but  still  forming  an  almost  unparalleled  tribute 

22 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE    DELICATE   AIR" 

of  affection  and  respect  from  a  nation  to  an  individ- 
ual. Young  men  of  the  highest  position  and  family 
attached  themselves  to  his  retinue  and  rode  with  him 
from  city  to  city,  leaving  him  only  to  be  replaced  by 
other  friends  and  enthusiastic  admirers.  Even  as  Mr. 
Jefferson  stood  upon  the  portico  of  Monticello,  Mon- 
sieur de  Lafayette  was  approaching,  with  his  escort, 
riding  hard  and  joyfully  in  the  gathering  twilight  to 
reach  there  in  time  to  see  his  illustrious  friend  before 
he  should  set  out  for  Boston. 

In  the  meantime  guests  were  arriving  rapidly, 
horseback  or  in  handsome,  high-panelled  coaches 
drawn  by  four  horses  (such  as  Colonel  Cary  of  Ampt- 
hill  boasted),  and  the  negro  grooms  were  busy  sta- 
bling them.  In  the  house  servants  were  moving 
about,  lighting  the  fragrant  wax  candles  of  myrtle- 
berry  and  seeing  to  the  comfort  of  the  guests.  The 
narrow  stairway  could  hardly  accommodate  the  rus- 
tling, voluminous  brocades  that  swept  up  and  down 
them  above  the  clicking,  high-heeled  shoes  and  dainty, 
silver-clocked  stockings.  But  there  was  room  for  all 
in  the  beautiful  octagonal  hall,  thirty  feet  square, 
and  in  the  long  saloon  parlor,  the  cost  of  whose  in- 
laid satin  and  rosewood  floor  had  somewhat  scan- 
dalized Mr.  Jefferson's  less  wealthy  and  less  artistic 
neighbors. 

It  were  hard  indeed  to  get  together  a  gathering  of 
more  beautiful  women  or  more  courtly,  distinguished 
gentlemen  than  was  assembled  that  evening  at  Mon- 
ticello. Among  the  latter  were  many  of  those  men 
who  had  helped  to  make  America  what  she  was ;  law- 

23 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

givers,  soldiers,  tried  statesmen  who  had  been  of  that 
famous  Congress  of  '75,  of  which  my  Lord  Chat- 
ham, in  a  burst  of  uncontrollable  enthusiasm,  had  de- 
clared that  "  its  members  had  never  been  excelled  in 
solidity  of  reasoning,  force  of  sagacity,  and  wisdom  of 
conclusion." 

The  Virginia  beauties,  if  less  modish  and  ex- 
travagant, as  a  rule,  than  the  belles  of  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  yielded  to  none  in  aristocratic  loveli- 
ness and  grace  and  dignity  of  bearing.  In  the  eyes  of 
Mr.  Jefferson  their  very  naturalness  made  them  more 
attractive,  and  perhaps  it  was  for  her  sweet  freshness 
and  shy  beauty  that  he  gave  the  palm  of  loveliness  to 
Miss  Molly  Crenshawe,  who  had  ridden  over  on  a 
pillion  behind  her  brother  from  her  father's  neighbor- 
ing estate  of  Edgemoor,  attended  by  young  Carter  of 
Redlands,  who  was  never  far  away  from  her  if  he 
could  help  it.  A  less  partial  judge  than  Mr.  Jefferson, 
however,  would  have  found  it  hard  to  decide  that 
she  was  more  lovely  than  her  dearest  friend,  the  be- 
witching Miss  Peggy  Gary,  who  had  driven  over 
early  in  the  day  from  Ampthill  with  her  father,  Col- 
onel Archibald  Cary. 

Talking  and  laughing,  the  two  young  girls  rustled 
down  the  stairs  and  across  the  broad  hall  to  the  en- 
trance of  the  saloon  parlor,  where  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
his  sister,  the  lovely  widow  Carr,  were  standing,  greet- 
ing their  guests.  The  courtesies  which  the  young 
ladies  swept  their  host  and  hostess  were  marvels  of 
grace  and  dexterity,  and  were  noted  with  approval  by 
the  young  gentlemen  who  lined  the  walls  or  talked  to 

24 


"THE   LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

the  ladies  already  foregathered.  Some  of  those  same 
young  gentlemen  fairly  rivalled  the  ladies  in  richness 
of  attire,  following  the  elaborate  fashions  of  dress 
which  General  Washington  had  encouraged  by  his 
own  example.  For  the  most  part  they  were  the  sons  of 
wealthy  farmers  and  planters,  shorn  perhaps  of  some 
of  their  pre-Revolutionary  splendor,  but  still  aristo- 
crats in  bearing  and  feeling;  young  sporting  squires 
who  indulged  in  cock-fighting  and  horse-racing;  ris- 
ing lawyers,  orators,  all  bearing  the  marks  of  good 
birth  and  good  breeding. 

Among  the  crowd  of  gayly  dressed  young  gentlemen 
was  one  who  was  especially  noticeable.  His  handsome 
face  wore  a  rather  reckless,  petulant  expression, 
which,  however,  could  not  conceal  a  certain  brightness 
and  fire  of  genius  that  at  moments  eclipsed  the  irri- 
table look  and  rendered  his  countenance  unusually 
attractive.  It  was  Gilbert  Stuart,  the  young  portrait 
painter,  but  recently  returned  from  England,  where 
he  was  famed  both  as  artist  and  wit.  It  was  even  said 
by  his  admirers  (and  indeed  Mr.  Adams  had  but 
lately  written  it  home  from  London)  that  there  his 
fame  and  following  were  the  equal  of  his  master's, 
Benjamin  West's,  or  even  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds's. 

The  scene  in  Mr.  Jefferson's  drawing-room  was 
becoming  more  and  more  animated.  The  guests  had 
nearly  all  assembled  and  were  thronging  the  parlor 
and  great  hall  beneath  the  brilliant  light  of  many  can- 
dles. From  the  music-gallery  overhead  the  sounds  of 
flute  and  violin  in  tentative  accord  were  beginning  to 
be  heard.  The  musicians  were  some  of  Mr.  Jefferson's 

25 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

slaves  who  had  shown  marked  ability  and  whom  he 
himself  had  instructed  in  the  art.  They  had  proved 
themselves  apt  pupils  and  could  play  excellently  airs 
for  the  minuet  and  Virginia  reel.  Mr.  Jefferson  was 
never  happier  than  when  Monticello  was  thronged 
with  gay  dancers,  nor  was  he  an  indifferent  votary  of 
Terpsichore  himself.  Indeed,  many  were  the  balls 
and  assemblies  he  attended  during  his  student  days  in 
Williamsburg,  many  the  nights  he  danced  away  with 
"  Belinda  "  and  other  fair  ones.  And  so  when  the 
music  for  the  irresistible  Virginia  reel  struck  up,  Mr. 
Jefferson  was  first  on  the  floor  with  Miss  Molly  Cren- 
shawe.  They  were  quickly  followed  by  other  couples, 
until  the  opposite  lines  of  dancers  extended  half-way 
down  the  sides  of  the  long  drawing-room.  Up  and 
down  they  went  to  the  gay  music,  under  the  bright 
light,  misty  with  powder  shaken  from  flying  curls. 

Suddenly,  as  Mr.  Stuart  was  advancing  with  out- 
stretched hands  to  swing  Miss  Gary,  there  was  a 
blare  of  horns  and  a  chorus  of  "  hellos  "  from  with- 
out, mingled  with  the  sound  of  horses  galloping  up 
the  avenue.  The  dancers  ceased  their  courtesying  and 
stately  step,  the  music  stopped,  and  Mr.  Jefferson 
hurried  to  the  portico  in  time  to  greet  the  young 
Marquis  de  Lafayette  and  his  escort  as  they  flung 
themselves  off  their  hot  mounts.  Every  head  was  un- 
covered as  the  young  Frenchman  affectionately  em- 
braced Mr.  Jefferson,  and  greetings  and  acclamations 
went  up  from  the  throng  of  guests  as  they  appeared  at 
the  entrance. 

'Twas  not  wonderful  that  Mr.  Jefferson,  like  Gen- 
26 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

eral  Washington,  Colonel  Hamilton,  General  Greene, 
and  so  many  others  of  our  distinguished  patriots,  was 
captivated  by  this  young  nobleman,  and  could  the 
jealous  ones  who  asserted  that  they  were  dazzled  by 
his  rank  and  awed  and  flattered  into  giving  him  more 
than  he  merited  but  have  seen  him  in  the  first  flush  of 
his  glory  and  young  manhood  they,  too,  would  have 
found  his  charm  irresistible.  Indeed,  to  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son he  was  always  the  hero,  the  man  of  genius  and 
spotless  patriotism,  though  many,  in  after  years,  grew 
to  distrust  his  powers  and  motives. 

As  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  stood  there  at  the  door 
of  the  drawing-room,  smiling  and  bowing  after  his 
own  graceful  fashion,  there  was  a  bright  daring,  a 
gay  gallantry  in  the  expression  of  his  youthful  face — 
he  was  but  six  and  twenty  and  major-general,  diplo- 
mat, and  friend  of  philosophers — that  won  all  hearts; 
and  though  the  countenance  was  not  handsome,  the 
broad,  slightly  receding  forehead,  straight  nose,  and 
delicate  mouth  and  chin  gave  to  it  a  very  distinguished 
appearance.  The  three-cornered  continental  hat  which 
he  swept  to  the  ground  before  the  ladies  disclosed  a 
flaming  red  head,  the  hair  slightly  powdered  and  tied 
back  with  a  black  ribbon.  His  tall  figure — he  was  of 
equal  height  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  was  over  six 
feet — was  enveloped  in  a  light  riding-coat  with  short 
capes  over  the  shoulders,  which,  when  he  threw  it  off, 
disclosed  to  view  the  uniform  of  a  major-general  of 
continental  dragoons.  Just  behind  him  stood  two 
of  his  suite,  his  young  kinsman,  the  devil-may-care 
Vicomte  de  Beaufort,  and  the  Vicomte  d'Azay,  a 

27 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

brave  young  French  officer  who  had  served  with 
Beaufort  under  Rochambeau  and  had  been  present 
before  Yorktown. 

Mr.  Jefferson  advanced  to  the  centre  of  the  room 
with  his  guests. 

"  My  friends,"  he  said,  "  this  is  one  of  the  proud- 
est and  happiest  moments  of  my  life.  Monticello 
shelters  for  the  first  time  America's  illustrious  ally 
and  devoted  soldier,  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  and 
his  fellow-countrymen  and  officers,  Messieurs  les 
Vicomtes  de  Beaufort  and  d'Azay.  I  salute  them  for 
you !  "  Turning,  he  embraced  the  three  young  men, 
and  then,  placing  his  hand  on  the  Marquis's  arm,  he 
led  him  to  Mrs.  Carr. 

"  Madame,"  he  said,  "  I  leave  the  Marquis  in  your 
hands  for  the  present."  He  went  back  to  the  two 
young  officers,  and  taking  them  each  by  an  arm  he  led 
them  about  the  room,  introducing  them  to  many  of 
the  company.  Finally,  leaving  them  to  the  tender  mer- 
cies of  Miss  Crenshawe  and  Miss  Peggy  Gary,  he  re- 
turned once  more  to  look  after  the  rest  of  Monsieur 
de  Lafayette's  escort. 

As  he  did  so  he  noticed  at  the  door  two  young  men 
who  were  quietly  making  their  way  into  the  room. 
The  elder — who  might  have  been  twenty-six  or  seven 
— was  dark,  with  brilliant  eyes  and  an  alert,  almost 
restless  manner,  while  the  younger,  who  was  scarcely 
more  than  a  boy,  not  over  nineteen,  was  fair,  with 
deep  blue  eyes,  reflective  and  calm,  and  a  quiet  dig- 
nity and  strength  of  manner  that  in  some  fashion  was 
not  unsuited  to  his  youth.  Both  were  slender,  well- 

28 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

built,  and  rather  under  than  over  middle  height.  Mr. 
Jefferson  hastened  to  them  and  shook  hands  warmly 
with  the  elder  gentleman. 

"  My  dear  Colonel  Hamilton,  this  is  an  unexpected 
pleasure  and  honor.  Welcome  to  Monticello !  "  and 
then  turning  to  the  youth  and  laying  a  hand  affection- 
ately on  his  shoulder,  he  cried,  gayly: 

"  My  dear  Ned,  when  did  you  come  and  why  have 
I  not  seen  you  before  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  young  man,  respectfully,  "  we 
have  but  just  arrived  in  Monsieur  de  Lafayette's  com- 
pany, and,  feeling  myself  at  home,  I  stayed  without  a 
few  moments  to  give  some  orders  about  the  stabling 
of  the  horses.  Colonel  Hamilton  was  kind  enough  to 
remain  with  me.  Will  you  pardon  our  delay  and 
assurance  ?  " 

"  My  dear  boy,  as  you  well  know,  I  am  only  too 
happy  to  have  you  look  upon  Monticello  as  your  other 
home,  and  every  servant  and  horse  upon  the  place  is 
at  your  disposal.  But  how  did  you  two  happen  to 
fall  in  with  the  Marquis  ?  " 

"  Both  Colonel  Hamilton  and  myself  were  passing 
a  few  days  at  Mount  Vernon  by  invitation  of  General 
Washington,  when  news  that  the  Marquis  was  coming 
reached  him.  The  General  insisted  that  we  should 
remain  to  see  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  so  we  were  still 
at  Mount  Vernon  when  your  note  asking  his  attend- 
ance here  was  received  by  him.  Sure  of  my  old  wel- 
come at  Monticello,  I  determined  to  accompany  him  on 
his  journey.  As  for  Colonel  Hamilton,  he  is  charged 
with  important  affairs  for  you,  sir." 

29 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Tis  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good,  Colonel," 
said  Mr.  Jefferson,  smiling,  "  and  I  shall  certainly 
not  call  even  business  an  ill  wind  since  it  has  blown 
you  hither." 

"  There  is  a  better  reason  still,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Hamilton,  "  for  I  came  on  business  of  Gen- 
eral Washington's,  and  never  yet  blew  ill  wind  from 
that  quarter." 

"  Then  you  are  doubly  welcome,  my  dear  Colonel," 
rejoined  Mr.  Jefferson,  heartily. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  said  Mr.  Hamilton. 
"  Besides  the  business  I  am  charged  with,  which  re- 
lates to  the  commercial  treaties  with  Flanders,  and 
which  I  hope  to  have  the  honor  of  discussing  with  you 
fully  before  your  departure,  I  bear  General  Washing- 
ton's greetings  and  best  wishes  for  your  welfare  and 
the  success  of  your  difficult  mission.  It  would  have 
given  him  the  greatest  pleasure  to  convey  these  in  per- 
son, and,  indeed,  I  think  he  would  have  been  tempted 
to  make  the  journey  to  Monticello  himself  to  see  you 
had  he  not  expected  a  visit  from  Mr.  Gouverneur 
Morris,  who,  I  doubt  not,  is  at  Mount  Vernon  by  this 
time." 

"  Mr.  Morris !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Jefferson.  "  And 
what  has  brought  Mr.  Morris  to  Virginia  ?  " 

"  General  Washington's  invitation  to  discuss  with 
him  a  plan  to  urge  the  necessity  of  a  new  convention 
upon  Congress.  They  have  been  warm  personal 
friends,  as  you  doubtless  know,  ever  since  Mr.  Morris 
visited  the  camp  at  Valley  Forge,  and  later  drafted 
such  admirable  plans  for  raising  money  to  relieve  the 

30 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE    DELICATE   AIR" 

troops.  General  Washington  feels  affection  for  him  as 
a  friend  and  the  greatest  respect  for  him  as  a  finan- 
cier." 

"  He  is  indeed  the  possessor  of  many  and  varied 
talents,"  assented  Mr.  Jefferson,  though  without  any 
great  show  of  enthusiasm.  "  Mr.  Madison  admires 
him,  and  was  remarking  but  yesterday  that  '  to  the 
brilliancy  of  his  genius  is  added  what  is  too  rare — a 
candid  surrender  of  his  opinions  when  the  lights  of 
discussion  satisfied  him.'  I  own  that  the  eulogy  seems 
a  trifle  overdrawn  to  me.  He  is  a  thought  too  much 
the  aristocrat  and  society  man,"  he  added,  coldly. 
"  Have  you  ever  seen  him,  Ned  ?  No  ?  He  is  a 
striking  figure,  especially  since  he  had  the  vast  mis- 
fortune some  years  ago  to  lose  a  leg  in  a  runaway 
accident." 

"  He  consoles  himself  by  saying  he  will  be  a  steadier 
man  with  one  than  with  two  legs,"  laughed  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton. "  But,  seriously,  Ned,"  he  continued,  turning  to 
the  younger  man,  "  he  has  a  magnificent  mind  and  is 
a  great  financier." 

While  he  spoke,  Mr.  Jefferson  smiled  dubiously,  for 
he  considered  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Morris  to  be 
dangerously  alike  as  financiers.  As  for  the  youth  ad- 
dressed, he  listened  with  his  customary  quiet  attention 
to  the  conversation,  though  he  little  dreamed  how 
great  his  own  interest  in  Mr.  Morris  was  to  be  in  after 
years  and  how  closely  they  were  to  be  bound  together. 

"  But  come,  sirs,"  suddenly  exclaimed  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, "  our  discussion  of  Mr.  Morris's  good  points  must 
wait,  for  I  see  Mrs.  Carr  looking  at  you,  Colonel.  If 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

you  will  pay  your  respects  to  her,  I  will  be  with  you  in 
a  few  moments.  As  for  you,  sir,"  he  went  on,  speak- 
ing to  the  youth  he  called  Ned  and  regarded  so 
affectionately,  "  you  are  but  wasting  your  time.  You 
should  be  talking  with  some  of  these  pretty  young 
women.  Shall  we  say  Miss  Molly  Crenshawe,  who 
is  certainly  looking  most  beautiful  this  evening?  or 
perhaps  the  dashing  Miss  Peggy  ? "  He  glanced 
keenly  at  the  youth,  who  retained  all  his  serene 
indifference  of  manner,  only  blushing  slightly  and 
shaking  his  head. 

Mr.  Jefferson  laughed  indulgently.  "  Ned,  Ned, 
you  were  ever  a  shy  youth,  and  I  think  time  does  noth- 
ing to  help  you.  'Tis  a  crime  to  be  as  indifferent  to 
women  as  you  are,  and,  I  warn  you,  there  will  come  a 
day  when  some  woman  will  revenge  herself  upon  you 
for  the  whole  sex,  and,  when  that  happens,  do  not  come 
to  me  for  consolation !  "  He  moved  away,  still  laugh- 
ing, and  left  the  boy  to  pay  his  respects  to  Mrs.  Carr, 
with  whom  he  was  a  great  favorite,  as  he  was  with  all 
who  knew  him  well.  But  he  never  had  a  large  circle 
of  friends.  There  were  but  few  who  ever  really  un- 
derstood and  thoroughly  appreciated  that  noble  char- 
acter. It  is  the  compensation  of  such  natures  that  they 
are  self-sufficing  and  are  as  indifferent  of  such  recog- 
nition as  they  are  superior  to  it. 

As  Mr.  Jefferson  passed  down  the  room  he  was 
stopped  by  Mr.  Gilbert  Stuart,  who  touched  him  on 
the  arm. 

"  Mr.  Jefferson,"  he  exclaimed,  in-  eager  tones,  "  take 
pity  on  an  exile  just  returned  and  tell  me  who  your 

32 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

young  friend  is.  I  had  thought  Mr.  Hamilton's  one 
of  the  finest  faces  I  had  ever  seen  until  I  set  eyes  on 
this  young  gentleman  with  him.  And,  indeed,  I  think 
they  resemble  one  another  vastly.  Has  our  young 
West  Indian  at  last  found  a  relative  ?  I  hear  he  is  but 
indifferently  provided  with  that  commodity.  No? 
Well,  I  protest  his  young  friend  has  the  most  charm- 
ing countenance  I  have  ever  seen  since  I  painted  Mr. 
Grant  in  London." 

"  Which  portrait,  Mr.  Stuart,  I  hear  is  a  master- 
piece and  has  added  enormously  to  your  reputation." 
Mr.  Stuart  bowed  low  at  the  compliment,  well  pleased 
that  Mr.  Jefferson  should  have  heard  so  favorably  of 
that  wonderful  picture  of  his  which  had  set  all  London 
gossiping  and  had  caused  Mr.  Benjamin  West  and 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  (so  'twas  said)  some  pangs  of 
envy.  "  As  for  myself,  however,"  went  on  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, "  I  can  scarcely  credit  that  it  is  a  greater  piece  of 
work  than  the  portrait  of  General  Washington  which 
you  have  executed  for  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne  at 
Mr.  William  Bingham's  request.  I  cannot  express 
to  you  how  greatly  the  replica  of  that  picture  pleases 
me.  Its  arrival  here  has  been  kept  a  profound  secret 
from  all  save  my  sister,  but  I  am  getting  as  impatient 
as  a  child  to  show  it  to  my  guests,  and  can  scarcely  wait 
for  the  supper-hour  to  arrive." 

"  I  sincerely  hope,  sir,  both  as  an  artist  and  a  friend, 
that  the  surprise  you  have  planned  will  not  turn  into  a 
disappointment.  But  you  have  not  yet  told  me,  Mr. 
Jefferson,  who  the  interesting  young  gentleman  is 
with  Mrs.  Carr." 

33 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

"  That,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson,  looking  kindly  toward 
the  youth  beside  his  sister,  "  is  young  Calvert  of 
Strathore,  and  a  finer  young  gentleman  does  not  live  in 
Virginia — no,  nor  in  any  other  state  of  this  country," 
he  added,  warmly.  "  He  is  of  the  famous  Baltimore 
family,  a  direct  descendant  of  Leonard  Calvert,  cadet 
brother  of  the  second  Lord  Baltimore,  and  is  the  bearer 
of  my  Lord  Baltimore's  name,  Cecil  Calvert,  to  which 
has  been  prefixed  Edward,  for  his  father.  The  family 
came  to  this  country  in  1644,  I  believe,  and  for  several 
generations  lived  in  the  colony  of  Maryland,  and  have 
always  been  people  of  position  and  wealth.  Ned's 
father,  however,  had  a  serious  disagreement  with  his 
family,  because  of  his  marriage  with  a  lovely  young 
Quakeress  of  Philadelphia,  and  finally  broke  off 
entirely  from  his  people,  renouncing  even  the  long- 
cherished  Catholic  faith,  and  came  to  Virginia  when 
their  only  child  was  about  two  years  old.  Mr.  Cal- 
vert built  a  spacious,  comfortable  residence  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac  not  far  from  Mr.  Washington's 
residence,  calling  it  '  Strathore,'  after  the  older  Mary- 
land place." 

"  What  a  head !  "  murmured  Mr.  Stuart,  looking 
at  the  young  man.  "  What  sincerity  and  quiet 
strength !  But  continue,  I  beg  of  you." 

"  There  is  little  to  tell — some  six  years  after  remov- 
ing to  Virginia,  Calvert's  father  and  mother  both 
suddenly  died,  leaving  the  poor  boy  estranged  from  the 
only  relatives  he  had  in  Maryland,  but,  fortunately,  un- 
der the  guardianship  of  General  Washington,  who  has 
been  all  kindness  toward  him.  Madame  Washington 

34 


"THE    LASS   WITH    THE    DELICATE   AIR" 

would  have  taken  him  to  Mount  Vernon  had  it  not 
been  for  the  father's  wish  that  he  should  grow  up  on 
his  own  estate,  alone  save  for  the  excellent  tutors  with 
whom  he  has  always  been  provided.  But  he  has  ever 
been  warmly  welcomed  at  Mount  Vernon  on  long  visits 
there,  and  both  General  and  Madame  Washington  have 
become  greatly  attached  to  him.  It  was  through  them 
I  first  knew  and  liked  him,  and  he  has  passed  many, 
I  hope  not  unhappy,  weeks  at  Monticello  with  me 
since.  'Tis  that  curious  and  melancholy  resemblance 
in  their  fate — both  orphaned  and  solitary — which,  I 
fancy,  had  much  to  do  with  the  firm  friendship  that  has 
sprung  up  between  Colonel  Hamilton  and  Calvert.  But 
though  in  appearance  and  circumstance  they  resemble 
each  other,  in  mental  characteristics  they  are  opposites. 
Calvert  has  none  of  Hamilton's  brilliancy  of  intellect 
and  vividness  of  imagination"  (for  whatever  their 
bitter  disagreements  were  later,  Mr.  Jefferson,  then 
and  for  many  years  afterward,  was  always  ready  to 
acknowledge  and  admire  Hamilton's  superb  genius), 
"  but  he  is  of  a  profound  logical  order  of  intelligence ; 
he  has  good  judgment  and  discretion,  indomitable  will 
power,  and  a  nobility  of  aim  and  faithfulness  of  pur- 
pose that  are  as  rare  as  they  are  admirable.  I  can  con- 
ceive of  no  circumstances  in  which  he  might  be  placed 
where  his  reliability  and  firmness  would  prove  inade- 
quate to  the  occasion." 

"  His  face  bears  out  what  you  tell  me  of  him, 
Mr.  Jefferson,"  assented  the  young  artist,  who  was 
regarding  Calvert  with  increasing  interest.  "  'Tis  a 
fine  countenance,  and  I  shall  not  be  happy  until  I 

35 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

have  transferred  it  to  canvas.     I  shall  have  to  beg  a 
few  sittings  of  Calvert  of  Strathore !  " 

Mr.  Jefferson  smiled.  "  I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Stuart, 
that  you  will  find  it  difficult  to  persuade  Ned  that  he 
has  a  '  fine  countenance  ' !  He  is  the  soul  of  modesty 
as  he  is  the  soul  of  truth  and  honor."  He  stopped 
and  looked  affectionately  at  young  Calvert,  who  was 
still  beside  Madame  Carr,  unconscious  of  the  close 
scrutiny  he  was  undergoing.  "  I  hardly  know  how 
to  describe  him  to  you,"  continued  Mr.  Jefferson, 
meditatively.  "  His  is  a  noble  and  lovable  character. 
I  never  look  at  him  but  these  lines  from  Horace  come 
to  my  mind — '  Quam  desederio  sit  pudor  aut  modus 
tarn  can  capitis'!  I  can  only  say  that  had  I  been 
blessed  with  a  son,"  and  he  sighed  as  he  spoke,  "  I 
would  have  wished  him  to  be  like  Edward  Calvert,  and, 
believe  me,  'tis  not  partiality  that  makes  me  speak  of 
him  in  such  fashion.  General  Washington  and  Colonel 
Hamilton  and  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  under  whom  he 
served  at  Yorktown,  hold  him  as  I  do.  Gentle  and 
tractable  as  he  is,  the  lad  has  plenty  of  spirit,  and  ran 
away  from  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1780,  where 
he  had  been  matriculated  but  two  months,  and,  pre- 
senting himself  to  his  guardian  and  friend,  General 
Washington,  begged  to  be  permitted  to  fight  for  his 
country.  He  was  scarce  fifteen,  and  Dr.  Wither- 
spoon,  whom,  as  you  doubtless  know,  our  good  friend 
Henry  Laurens  persuaded  to  leave  Edinburgh  to 
take  charge  of  the  College  at  Princeton,  violently  op- 
posed his  abandoning  his  studies,  but  the  young  man 
was  determined,  and  was  finally  commissioned  as  an 

36 


"THE    LASS   WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

aide  to  General  Lafayette.  He  was  of  particular  service 
to  both  Lafayette  and  Rochambeau,  as  he  understands 
and  speaks  the  French  language  excellently,  having 
studied  it  since  childhood  and  speaking  much  with  a 
French  tutor  whom  he  had  for  some  years.  He  is  to 
return  to  the  College  of  Princeton  in  the  fall  of  this 
year,  and  finish  his  studies.  For  though  he  will  be 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  enters,  yet  such  is  his 
determination  to  get  the  college  education  which  his 
service  to  his  country  interrupted,  that  he  is  resolved 
to  recommence  now  at  the  age  when  most  youths 
have  finished  their  studies.  And  if  at  the  end  of  his 
college  course  my  duties  still  detain  me  abroad,  'tis 
my  intention  and  dearest  wish  to  have  him  come  out  to 
me,  and  I  promise  you  he  will  make  me  as  efficient  a 
secretary  as  ever  Hamilton  made  General  Washing- 
ton." 

"  All  that  you  tell  me  only  increases  my  interest  in 
the  young  gentleman,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  said  Stuart, 
"  and  I  am  more  determined  than  ever  to  have  him  sit 
for  me.  I  can  see  the  picture,"  he  went  on,  eagerly — 
"the  fine,  youthful  brow  and  wavy  hair  drawn 
loosely  back  and  slightly  powdered,  the  blue  eyes, 
aquiline  nose,  and  firm  mouth — the  chin  is  a  trifle 
delicate  but  the  jaw  is  square — "  he  was  speak- 
ing half  to  himself,  noting  in  artist  fashion  the  salient 
points  of  a  countenance  at  once  attractive  and  hand- 
some, not  so  much  by  reason  of  beautiful  features  as 
because  of  the  expression  which  was  at  once  youthful, 
serene,  and  noble.  All  these  points  were  afterward 
portrayed  by  Mr.  Stuart,  though  it  was  not  until  many 

37 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

years  later  that  the  picture  was  executed,  Mr.  Stuart 
being  recalled  almost  immediately  to  London,  where, 
indeed,  Calvert  finally  sat  to  him.  That  likeness,  done 
in  the  most  admirable  fashion,  came  later  into  the 
possession  of  one  of  Calvert's  dearest  friends  and 
greatest  admirers,  and  was  prized  above  most  things 
by  one  who  loved  the  original  so  deeply  and  so  long. 

"  And  he  has  other  attractions,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson, 
after  a  long  pause,  during  which  the  two  gentlemen 
regarded  young  Calvert,  the  artist  absorbed  in  plans 
for  his  picture,  Mr.  Jefferson  in  affectionate  thoughts 
of  the  young  man  so  dear  to  his  heart.  "  He  has  one 
of  the  clearest,  freshest  voices  that  you  ever  heard, 
Mr.  Stuart;  a  voice  that  matches  his  face  and  makes 
one  believe  in  youth  and  happiness  and  truth.  Why 
should  he  not  sing  for  us  ?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  The  dan- 
cing has  ceased,  I  see.  Come,  I  will  ask  him." 

Followed  by  Mr.  Stuart,  he  went  over  to  young 
Calvert,  who  was  still  standing  sentinel  beside  Madame 
Carr,  and  clapped  him  affectionately  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Ned,  we  demand  a  song !  Come,  no  refusal, 
sir !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  shall  send  Caesar  for  my 
Amati  and  you  must  sing  us  something.  Shall  it 
be  '  The  Lass  with  the  Delicate  Air '  ?  That  is  my 
favorite,  I  think.  Tis,  as  you  know,  Mr.  Stuart, 
by  the  late  Dr.  Arne,  the  prince  of  song-writers. 
Here,  boy ! "  he  said,  turning  to  one  of  the  small 
darkies  standing  about  to  snuff  the  candles,  "  tell 
Caesar  to  bring  me  '  Pet.'  " — for  it  was  thus  he  called 
his  violin,  which  had  been  saved  by  Caesar's  devo- 
tion and  bravery  when  all  else  at  Elk  Hill  was  de- 

38 


"THE    LASS   WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

stroyed  by  order  of  my  Lord  Cornwallis.  While  this 
was  going  forward  Calvert  stood  by  silent,  outwardly 
calm  and  unruffled,  inwardly  much  perturbed.  It  was 
his  pleasure  and  habit  to  sing  for  Mr.  Jefferson  or  for 
General  and  Madame  Washington,  but  it  was  some- 
thing of  an  ordeal  to  sing  before  an  audience.  That 
quiet  heroism,  though,  which  was  part  of  his  charac- 
ter, and  which  made  him  accept  tranquilly  everything, 
from  the  most  trifling  inconvenience  to  the  greatest 
trials,  kept  him  from  raising  any  objection. 

As  Mr.  Jefferson  drew  his  bow  across  his  violin  the 
company  fell  away  from  the  centre  of  the  room,  leaving 
a  clear  space.  Stepping  forward  he  leaned  over  his 
beloved  Amati  and  played  the  opening  bars  of  Dr. 
Arne's  famous  ballad,  with  its  liquid  phrases  and  quaint 
intervals  of  melody.  At  the  first  notes  of  the  air  Cal- 
vert stood  beside  him  and  lifted  up  his  fresh  young 
voice  of  thrilling  sweetness.  It  was  one  of  those 
naturally  beautiful  voices,  which  at  this  time  and  for 
many  years  longer  had  a  charm  that  none  could  re- 
sist, and  which  helped,  among  other  things,  to  earn 
for  him  the  everlasting  jealousy  of  that  remarkable 
and  versatile  scoundrel,  Monsieur  le  Baron  de  St. 
Aulaire. 

"  I  protest,  sir,"  cried  Mr.  Gilbert  from  his  place 
beside  Miss  Crenshawe,  when  the  bow  at  last  dropped 
from  the  quivering  strings,  "  I  protest  I  have  not  heard 
such  music  since  St.  George  and  Garat  played  and 
sang  together  in  Paris !  " 

Monsieur  de  Lafayette  laid  his  hand  affectionately 
on  Calvert's  shoulder.  "  Ah,  Ned,"  he  said  in  his 

39 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

English  with  the  strong  accent,  "  that  was  sweet,  but 
if  I  mistake  me  not,  thy  voice  sounded  even  sweeter 
to  my  ears  as  thou  sangst  thy  songs  around  the  camp- 
fires  at  night  after  our  long  marches  and  counter- 
marches when  we  hung  upon  Cornwallis's  flank  or 
raced  toward  Petersburg  to  beat  Phillips !  'Twas  a 
very  girl's  voice  then,  but  it  could  make  us  forget 
fatigue  and  danger  and  homesickness !  " 

"  I  am  glad  to  believe  that  I  was  of  some  service," 
said  Calvert.  "  I  have  often  thought,"  he  went  on, 
smiling  a  little,  "  that  had  I  not  been  under  the  pro- 
tection of  General  Washington  I  should  never  have 
been  permitted  to  make  the  campaign." 

But  the  Marquis  would  have  none  of  his  modesty. 

"  No,  no,"  he  cried,  "  thou  knowest  thou  wert  my 
favorite  aide  and  served  me  faithfully  and  well.  Dost 
thou  not  remember  the  many  messages  thou  didst  carry 
to  General  Rochambeau  for  me  when  we  lay  before 
Yorktown  ?  And  the  friends  thou  hadst  in  his  army  ? 
De  Beaufort  and  d'Azay  were  among  the  best,  is  it 
not  so  ?  But  what  is  this  ?  "  he  inquired,  suddenly, 
as  he  saw  the  middle  of  the  long  room  cleared  and 
a  very  army  of  slaves  approaching  bearing  an  im- 
mense table  already  laid  with  fine  damask  and  silver. 

"  Madame  Carr  evidently  thinks  her  guests  are  in 
need  of  refreshment  after  these  wearying  musical 
performances,"  replied  Calvert,  laughing,  "  and  as  we 
are  too  numerous  to  be  entertained  in  the  dining-room, 
supper  is  to  be  served  here.  'Tis  frequently  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson's fashion  when  his  company  is  large." 

With  little  formality  the  guests  took  their  places 
40 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

at  table,  the  ladies  all  being  seated  and  many  of  the 
older  gentlemen.  The  younger  ones  stood  about  and 
waited  upon  the  ladies,  contenting  themselves  by  eat- 
ing after  they  were  served,  as  they  hung  over  their 
chairs  and  conversed  with  them. 

Calvert  with  Beaufort  and  d'Azay  were  busily  oc- 
cupied, the  French  officers  devoting  themselves  to  the 
wants  of  the  beautiful  Miss  Peggy  Gary  and  Miss 
Molly  Crenshawe,  Calvert  gravely  seeing  that  the 
elderly  Mrs.  Mason,  mother  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  great 
friend,  Mr.  George  Mason,  Mrs.  Wythe,  and  other 
dowagers  were  bountifuly  supplied.  It  was  like  him 
to  pass  by  the  young  beauties  to  attend  upon  those 
who  had  greater  needs  and  less  attractions.  From 
his  position  behind  the  dowagers'  chairs  he  could 
catch  bits  of  conversation  from  both  ends  of  the  table. 
Now  it  was  Mr.  Jefferson's  voice,  rising  above  the 
noise,  talk,  and  laughter,  offering  some  excellent 
Madeira  to  his  abstemious  friend,  Mr.  Arkwright. 

"  I  insist,"  urged  Mr.  Jefferson,  "  for  upon  my  word 
'tis  true,  as  someone  has  said,  that  water  has  tasted 
of  sinners  ever  since  the  Flood ! " 

Now  it  was  Mr.  Madison  who  arose,  glass  in  hand, 
to  propose  a  toast  to  Mr.  Jefferson. 

It  was  not  a  very  eloquent  farewell,  but,  as  he  said, 
"  the  message  comes  from  all  hearts  present,  and  the 
burden  of  it  is  a  safe  journey,  great  achievement,  and 
a  speedy  return." 

When  Mr.  Jefferson  rose  to  respond,  then,  indeed, 
was  heard  eloquence.  Toward  the  close  of  his  brief 
reply  there  was  a  note  of  sadness  in  it. 

41 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

"  I  have  ever  held  it  the  first  duty  of  a  patriot  to 
submit  himself  to  the  commands  of  his  country.  My 
command  has  been  to  leave  my  country.  I  would 
that  it  had  been  otherwise — but  my  country  before 
all !  And  should  I  be  able  to  serve  her  in  ever  so 
little  by  going,  no  separation  from  all  I  love  best,  no 
loss  of  ease  and  quiet  pleasures,  will  be  too  costly  for 
me  not  to  bear  with  resignation,  nay,  even  with  cheer- 
fulness! I  shall  take  with  me  one  hostage  to  hap- 
piness— my  daughter — and  should  my  splendid  exile 
to  the  greatest  court  of  Europe  be  prolonged  and 
my  duties  become  too  arduous,  I  shall  send  to  these 
shores  for  one  to  aid  me — one  on  whose  fidelity  and 
zeal  I  can  rely — for  my  dear  young  friend — Calvert  of 
Strathore." 

At  this  unexpected  announcement  Calvert  started 
with  surprise  and  pleasure,  having  heard  nothing  of 
Mr.  Jefferson's  intention.  "  But  why  should  I  speak 
of  my  exile  ?  "  continued  Mr.  Jefferson.  "  Shall  I 
not  be  among  friends  ?  "  and  he  looked  with  affection- 
ate regard  toward  the  three  young  Frenchmen. 
"  Shall  I  not  be  among  friends,  the  truest  and  noblest 
that  any  country  or  any  individual  can  boast?  Your 
looks  bespeak  your  answer!  Friends,  I  ask  you  to 
drink  to  Monsieur  le  Marquis  de  Lafayette  and  to 
Messieurs  de  Beaufort  and  d'Azay ! " 

Amid  the  enthusiastic  applause  which  followed, 
Lafayette  was  seen  to  rise  and  lift  his  hand  for 
silence. 

"  Since  the  first  day  we  set  foot  upon  this  great 
country,"  he  said,  "  we  have  received  naught  but 

42 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

kindness,  aid,  honors.  How  shall  we  thank  you  for 
that  in  a  few  words?  We  cannot,  but  we  can  make 
you  a  promise  for  our  King,  our  country,  and  our- 
selves. 'Tis  this.  Mr.  Jefferson  shall  find  a  wel- 
come and  a  home  in  France  such  as  we  have  found 
here,  an  admiration,  a  respect,  a  love  such  as  we 
cannot  command.  And  should  Mr.  Calvert  come 
also,  he  shall  be  as  a  brother  to  us !  I  drink  to  our 
happy  reunion  in  France !  " 

"  So  you  will  come  to  France,  too,  Ned,"  cried 
d'Azay  to  Calvert.  "  I  shall  claim  you  as  my  guest 
and  take  you  down  to  our  chateau  of  Azay-le-Roi  and 
show  you  to  my  sister  Adrienne  as  a  great  American 
savage !  " 

"  You  will  be  blessed  if  she  looks  at  you  out  of 
mere  curiosity  if  for  naught  else,"  murmured  Beau- 
fort at  Calvert's  ear,  "  for  she  is  the  prettiest  little  nun 
in  all  France.  Show  Calvert  thy  locket,  Henri." 

Somewhat  reluctantly  d'Azay  pulled  forth  a  small 
ivory  miniature  in  a  gold  case,  and  holding  it  well 
within  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  so  that  others  might 
not  see,  he  laid  it  before  Calvert. 

"  Is  she  not  a  beauty  ?  "  demanded  Beaufort,  eagerly. 
"  More  beautiful,  I  think,  than  the  lovely  Miss  Ship- 
pen  of  Philadelphia,  or  Miss  Bingham,  or  any  of  your 
famous  beauties,  Calvert." 

It  was  indeed  a  beautiful  face  that  Calvert  gazed 
upon,  a  slender,  oval  face  with  violet  eyes,  shadowed 
by  long,  thick  lashes;  a  straight  nose  with  slightly 
distended  nostrils,  which,  with  the  curling  lips,  gave 
a  look  of  haughtiness  to  the  countenance  in  spite 

43 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

of  its  youthfulness.  A  cloud  of  dusky  hair  framed 
the  face,  which,  altogether,  was  still  extremely  imma- 
ture and  (as  Calvert  thought)  capable  of  developing 
into  noble  loveliness  or  hardening  into  unpleasing 
though  striking  beauty. 

Beaufort  still  hung  over  Calvert's  shoulder.  "  She 
is  '  The  Lass  with  the  Delicate  Air '  whom  you  but 
just  now  sang  of,  Calvert,"  he  said,  laughing  softly. 
"  I  wonder  who  will  ever  be  lucky  enough  to  find  a 
way  to  win  this  maid !  " 

As  Calvert  stood  gazing  in  silent  admiration  at 
the  miniature  and  but  half-listening  to  Beaufort's  wild 
talk,  Mr.  Jefferson  suddenly  rose  in  his  place. 

"  One  more  toast,"  he  said,  in  a  loud  voice — "  a 
toast  without  which  we  cannot  disperse.  Ned,  I  call 
on  you,  who  are  his  young  favorite,  for  a  toast  to 
General  Washington !  " 

There  was  a  burst  of  applause  at  the  name,  and 
then  Calvert  rose.  He  was  a  gallant  young  figure 
as  he  stood  there,  his  wine-glass  uplifted  and  a  serious 
expression  on  his  boyish  face. 

"  To  the  one,"  he  cried,  after  an  instant's  hesitation, 
"whom  we  hold  in  our  hearts  to  be  the  bravest  of 
soldiers,  the  purest  of  patriots,  and  the  wisest  of 
men — General  Washington !  " 

As  he  spoke  the  last  words,  Mr.  Jefferson  drew 
aside  a  heavy  curtain  which  had  hung  across  the  wall 
behind  his  chair,  and  as  the  velvet  fell  apart  a  replica 
of  the  famous  portrait  of  General  Washington,  which 
Mr.  Stuart  had  but  lately  painted  for  the  Marquis 
of  Lansdowne,  was  revealed  to  the  surprised  and 

44 


"THE    LASS    WITH    THE   DELICATE   AIR" 

delighted  guests.  Amid  a  burst  of  patriotic  enthu- 
siasm everyone  arose  and,  with  glass  upheld,  saluted 
the  great  Hero,  and  then — and  for  the  last  time  for 
many  years — the  Sage  of  Monticello. 


CHAPTER  IV 

AT   THE   PALAIS    ROYAL 

IT  was  in  pursuance  of  his  favorite  plan  to  make 
Calvert  his  secretary,  should  he  be  appointed  Minis- 
ter to  the  court  of  Louis  XVI.,  that  Mr.  Jefferson 
wrote  to  the  young  man  four  years  later,  inviting  him 
to  come  to  France.  This  invitation  was  eagerly  ac- 
cepted, and  it  was  thus  that  Mr.  Calvert  found  him- 
self in  company  with  Beaufort  at  the  American  Lega- 
tion in  Paris  on  that  February  evening  in  the  year 
1789. 

When  the  great  doors  of  the  Legation  had  shut 
upon  the  two  young  men,  they  found  themselves  under 
the  marquise  where  Beaufort's  sleigh — a  very  elabo- 
rate and  fantastic  affair — awaited  them.  Covering 
themselves  with  the  warm  furs,  they  set  off  at  a 
furious  pace  down  the  Champs  Elysees  to  the  Place 
Louis  XV.  It  was  both  surprising  and  alarming  to 
Calvert  to  note  with  what  reckless  rapidity  Beau- 
fort drove  through  the  crowded  boulevard,  where  pe- 
destrians mingled  perforce  with  carriages,  sleighs,  and 
chairs,  there  being  no  foot  pavements,  and  with  what 
smiling  indifference  he  watched  their  efforts  to  get  out 
of  his  horses'  way. 

"  'Tis  insufferable,  my  dear  Calvert,"  he  said,  when 
his  progress  was  stopped  entirely  by  a  crowd  of  people, 

46 


AT   THE   PALAIS   ROYAL 

who  poured  out  of  a  small  street  abutting  upon  the 
boulevard,  "  'tis  insufferable  that  this  rabble  cannot 
make  way  for  a  gentleman's  carriage." 

"  I  should  think  the  rabble  would  find  it  insuffer- 
able that  a  gentleman's  carriage  should  be  driven 
so  recklessly  in  this  crowded  thoroughfare,  my  dear 
Beaufort,"  returned  Calvert,  quietly,  looking  intently 
at  that  same  rabble  as  it  edged  and  shuffled  and  slipped 
its  way  along  into  the  great  street.  At  Calvert's  re- 
mark, the  young  Frenchman  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  shook  his  reins  over  his  impatient  horses  until 
the  chime  of  silver  bells  around  their  necks  rang 
again.  "  As  usual — in  revolt  against  the  powers  that 
be,"  he  laughed. 

Calvert  leaned  forward.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  he  said. 
"  There  seems  to  be  some  commotion.  They  are 
carrying  something." 

'Twas  as  he  had  said.  In  the  crowd  of  poor-looking 
people  was  a  still  closer  knot  of  men,  evidently  carry- 
ing some  heavy  object. 

"  Qu'est  ce  qu'il  y  a,  mon  ami  ?  "  said  Calvert,  touch- 
ing a  man  on  the  shoulder  who  had  been  pushed 
close  to  the  sleigh.  The  man  addressed  looked 
around.  He  was  poorly  and  thinly  clothed,  with  only 
a  ragged  muffler  knotted  about  his  throat  to  keep  off 
the  stinging  cold.  From  under  his  great  shaggy 
eyebrows  a  pair  of  wild,  sunken  eyes  gleamed  fero- 
ciously, but  there  was  a  smile  upon  his  lips. 

'  'Tis    nothing,    M'sieur,"   he    said,    nonchalantly. 

:  'Tis  only  a  poor  wretch  who  has  died  from  the  cold 

and  they  are  taking  him  away.     You  see  he  could 

47 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

not  get  any  charcoal  this  morning  when  he  went  to 
Monsieur  Juigne.  Tis  best  so."  He  turned  away 
carelessly,  and,  forcing  himself  through  the  crowd,  was 
soon  lost  to  sight. 

"  There  are  many  such,"  said  Beaufort,  gloomily, 
in  answer  to  Calvert's  look  of  inquiry.  "  What  will 
you  have?  The  winter  has  been  one  of  unexampled, 
of  never-ending  cold.  The  government,  the  cures,  the 
nobles  have  done  much  for  the  poor  wretches,  but  it 
has  been  impossible  to  relieve  the  suffering.  They 
have,  at  least,  to  be  thankful  that  freezing  is  such  an 
easy  death,  and  when  all  is  said,  they  are  far  better 
off  dead  than  alive.  But  it  is  extremely  disagreeable 
to  see  the  shivering  scarecrows  on  the  streets,  and 
they  ought  to  be  kept  to  the  poorer  quarters  of  the 
city."  He  had  thrown  off  his  look  of  gloom  and  spoke 
carelessly,  though  with  an  effort,  as  he  struck  the 
horses,  which  started  again  down  the  great  avenue. 

Calvert  looked  for  an  instant  at  Beaufort.  "  'Tis 
unlike  you  to  speak  so,"  he  said,  at  length.  Indeed, 
ever  since  the  young  man  had  come  into  the  break- 
fast-room at  the  Legation,  Calvert  had  been  puzzled  by 
some  strange  difference  in  his  former  friend.  It  was 
not  that  the  young  Frenchman  was  so  much  more 
elaborately  and  exquisitely  dressed  than  in  the  days 
when  Calvert  had  known  him  in  America,  or  that  he 
was  older  or  of  more  assurance  of  manner.  There 
was  some  subtle  change  in  his  very  nature,  in  the 
whole  impression  he  gave  out,  or  so  it  seemed  to 
Calvert.  There  was  an  air  of  flippancy,  of  careless 
gayety,  about  Beaufort  now  very  unlike  the  ingenuous 

48 


AT   THE  PALAIS  ROYAL 

candor,  the  boyish  simplicity,  of  the  Beaufort  who  had 
served  as  a  volunteer  under  Rochambeau  in  the  war 
of  American  independence. 

"  What  will  you  have  ?  "  he  asked  again,  noncha- 
lantly. "  Wait  until  you  have  been  in  Paris  awhile 
and  you  will  better  understand  our  manner  of  speech. 
'Tis  a  strange  enough  jargon,  God  knows,"  he  said, 
laughing  in  a  disquieted  fashion.  "  And  France  is 
not  America." 

"  I  see." 

"  And  though  the  cold  is  doubtless  unfortunate  for 
the  poor,  the  rich  have  enjoyed  the  winter  greatly. 
Why,  I  have  not  had  such  sport  since  d'Azay  and  I 
used  to  go  skating  on  your  Schuylkill !  "  He  flicked 
the  horses  again.  "  And  as  for  the  ladies ! — they 
crowd  to  the  pieces  d'eau  in  the  royal  gardens.  Those 
that  can't  skate  are  pushed  about  in  chairs  upon  run- 
ners or  drive  all  day  in  their  sleighs.  'Tis  something 
new,  and,  you  know,  Folly  must  be  ever  amused." 

Even  while  he  spoke  numbers  of  elegantly  mounted 
sleighs  swept  by,  and  to  the  fair  occupants  of  many 
of  them  Beaufort  bowed  with  easy  grace.  Here 
and  there  along  the  wide  street  great  fires  were 
burning,  tended  by  cures  in  their  long  cassocks  and 
crowded  around  by  shivering  men  and  women.  The 
doors  of  the  churches  and  hospitals  stood  open,  and 
a  continual  stream  of  freezing  wretches  passed  in  to 
get  warmed  before  proceeding  on  their  way.  Upon 
many  houses  were  large  signs  bearing  a  notice  to  the 
effect  that  hot  soup  would  be  served  free  during 
certain  hours,  and  a  jostling,  half-starved  throng  was 

49 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

standing  at  each  door.  There  was  a  sort  of  terror  of 
misery  and  despair  over  the  whole  scene,  brilliant 
though  it  was,  which  affected  Calvert  painfully. 

"  Where  are  you  going  to  take  me  ?  "  he  asked 
Beaufort,  as  the  horses  turned  into  the  Place  Louis  XV. 

"  Where  should  I  be  taking  you  but  to  the  incom- 
parable Palais  Royal,  the  capital  of  Paris  as  Paris  is 
of  France  ?  "  returned  Beaufort,  gayly.  "  Tis  a  Pa- 
risian's first  duty  to  a  stranger.  There  you  will  see 
the  world  in  little,  hear  all  the  latest  news  and  the 
most  scandalous  gossip,  find  the  best  wines  and  coffee, 
read  the  latest  pamphlets — and  let  me  tell  you,  my  dear 
Calvert,  they  come  out  daily  by  the  dozens  in  these 
times — see  the  best-known  men  about  town,  and — 
but  I  forget.  I  am  telling  you  of  what  the  Palais 
Royal  used  to  be.  In  these  latter  times  it  has  changed 
greatly,"  he  spoke  gloomily  now.  "  'Tis  the  gather- 
ing-place of  Orleans  men  in  these  days,  and  they  are 
fast  turning  into  a  Hell  what  was  once  very  nearly 
an  earthly  Paradise !  " 

"  You  seem  to  know  the  place  well,"  said  Mr. 
Calvert. 

"  No  man  of  fashion  but  knows  it,"  returned  Beau- 
fort, "  though  I  think  'twill  soon  be  deserted  by  all  of 
us  who  love  the  King." 

"  You  were  not  so  fond  of  kings  in  America,"  said 
Calvert,  smiling  a  little. 

"  I  was  young  and  hot-headed  then.  No,  no,  Cal- 
vert, I  have  learned  many  things  since  Yorktown.  Nor 
do  I  regret  what  I  then  did,  but " — he  paused  an 
instant — "  I  see  trouble  ahead  for  my  country  and 

50 


AT   THE   PALAIS   ROYAL 

my  class.  Shall  I  not  stick  to  my  King  and  my  order  ? 
There  will  be  plenty  who  will  desert  both.  'Tis  not 
the  fashion  to  be  loyal  now,"  he  went  on,  bitterly. 
"  Even  d'Azay  hath  changed.  He,  like  Lafayette  and 
your  great  friend  Mr.  Jefferson  and  so  many  others, 
is  all  for  the  common  people.  Perhaps  I  am  but  a 
feather-headed  fool,  but  it  seems  to  me  a  dangerous 
policy,  and  I  think,  with  your  Shakespeare,  that  perhaps 
'twere  better  '  to  bear  the  ills  we  have ' — how  goes 
it?  I  can  never  remember  verse." 

As  he  finished  speaking,  he  reined  in  his  horses 
sharply,  and  looking  about  him,  Calvert  perceived 
that  they  had  stopped  before  a  building  whose  massive 
exterior  was  most  imposing.  Alighting  and  throwing 
the  reins  to  the  groom,  Beaufort  led  Calvert  under 
the  arcades  of  the  Palais  Royal  and  into  the  grand 
courtyard,  where  were  such  crowds  and  such  babel  of 
noises  as  greatly  astonished  the  young  American. 
Shops  lined  the  sides  of  the  vast  building — shops  of 
every  variety,  filled  with  every  kind  of  luxury  known 
to  that  luxurious  age;  cafes  whose  reputation  had 
spread  throughout  Europe,  swarming  with  people, 
all  seemingly  under  the  influence  of  some  strange 
agitation ;  book-stalls  teeming  with  brand-new  publi- 
cations and  crowded  with  eager  buyers;  marionette 
shows ;  theatres ;  dancing-halls — all  were  there.  Boys, 
bearing  trays  slung  about  their  shoulders  by  leathern 
straps  and  heaped  with  little  trick  toys,  moved  con- 
tinually among  the  throngs,  hawking  their  wares  and 
explaining  the  operation  of  them.  Streams  of  people 
passed  continually  through  the  velvet  curtains  hung 

51 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

before  Herr  Curtius's  shop  to  see  his  marvellous  wax- 
works within.  Opposite  this  popular  resort  was  the 
Theatre  de  Seraphim,  famed  for  its  "  ombres  chi- 
noises,"  and  liberally  patronized  by  the  frequenters 
of  the  Palais  Royal.  A  little  farther  along  under  the 
arcades  was  the  stall  where  Mademoiselle  la  Pierre, 
the  Prussian  giantess,  could  be  seen  for  a  silver  piece. 
Next  to  this  place  of  amusement  was  a  small  salon 
containing  a  mechanical  billiard-table,  over  which  a 
billiard-ball,  when  adroitly  struck,  would  roll,  touch- 
ing the  door  of  a  little  gilded  chateau  and  causing 
the  images  of  celebrated  personages  to  appear  at  each 
of  the  windows,  to  the  huge  delight  of  the  easily 
amused  crowds. 

Cold  as  the  afternoon  was,  the  press  of  people  was 
tremendous,  and  besides  the  numbers  bent  on  amuse- 
ment, throngs  of  men  stood  about  under  the  wind- 
swept arcades,  talking  excitedly,  some  with  frightened, 
furtive  face  and  air,  others  boldly  and  recklessly. 

As  they  passed  along,  Calvert  noted  with  surprise 
that  Beaufort  seemed  to  have  but  few  acquaintances 
among  the  crowds  of  gesticulating,  excited  men,  and 
that  the  look  of  disquiet  upon  his  face  was  intensi- 
fying each  moment.  When  they  reached  the  Cafe  de 
1'Ecole,  the  storm  burst. 

"  Tis  an  infernal  shame,"  he  said,  angrily,  sinking 
into  a  chair  at  a  small  table,  and  pointing  Calvert  to 
the  one  opposite  him,  "  'tis  an  infernal  shame  that  this 
pleasure  palace  should  be  made  the  hotbed  of  political 
intrigue;  that  these  brawling,  demented  demagogues 
should  be  allowed  to  rant  and  rave  here  to  an  excited 

52 


AT   THE   PALAIS  ROYAL 

mob;  that  these  disloyal,  seditious  pamphlets  should 
be  distributed  and  read  and  discussed  beneath  the 
windows  of  the  King's  own  cousin !  The  King  must 
be  mad  to  permit  this  folly,  which  increases  daily. 
Where  will  it  end  ? "  He  looked  at  Calvert  and 
clapped  his  hands  together.  A  waiter  came  run- 
ning up. 

"  What  will  you  have,  Calvert  ? — some  of  the  best 
cognac  and  coffee  ?  "  he  asked.  "  There  is  no  better 
to  be  found  in  all  France  than  here." 

"  'Twill  suit  me  excellently,"  said  Calvert,  absently, 
thinking  more  of  what  Beaufort  had  told  him  of 
the  tendencies  of  the  times  than  of  the  coffee  and 
cognac  of  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole.  As  he  spoke,  the  man, 
who  had  stood  by  passively  awaiting  his  orders,  sud- 
denly started  and  looked  at  the  young  American 
attentively. 

"  But — pardon,  Messieurs,"  he  stammered,  "  is  it 
possible  that  I  see  Monsieur  Calvert  at  Paris  ?  "  Beau- 
fort looked  up  in  astonishment  at  the  servant  who 
had  so  far  forgotten  himself  as  to  address  two  gen- 
tlemen without  permission,  and  Calvert,  turning  to 
the  man  and  studying  his  face  for  an  instant,  sud- 
denly seized  him  by  the  hand  cordially,  and  exclaimed, 
"  My  good  Bertrand,  is  it  indeed  you  ?  " 

"  Ah !  Monsieur — what  happiness !  I  had  never 
thought  to  see  Monsieur  again !  " 

"  Then  you  were  destined  to  be  greatly  mistaken, 
Bertrand,"  returned  Calvert,  laughing,  "  for  you  are 
likely  to  see  me  often.  I  am  to  be  here  in  Paris  for 
an  indefinite  length  of  time,  and  as  Monsieur  de  Beau- 

53 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

fort  tells  me  that  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole  surpasses  all 
others,  I  shall  be  here  very  frequently." 

"  And  now,"  broke  in  Beaufort,  addressing  the 
man,  who  still  stood  beaming  with  delight  and  surprise 
upon  Calvert,  "  go  and  get  us  our  coffee  and  cognac." 
The  man  departed  hastily  and  Beaufort  turned  to  Cal- 
vert. 

"  Allow  me  to  congratulate  you  upon  finding  an 
acquaintance  in  Paris  so  soon!  May  I  ask  who  the 
gentleman  is  ?  " 

"  The  gentleman  was  once  a  private  in  a  company 
under  Monsieur  de  Lafayette's  orders  before  York- 
town,  and  is  my  very  good  friend,"  says  Calvert, 
quietly,  ignoring  Beaufort's  somewhat  disdainful  rail- 
lery. What  he  did  not  tell  Beaufort  was  that  Pri- 
vate Bertrand  owed  his  life  and  much  material  aid 
to  himself,  and  that  the  man  was  profoundly  de- 
voted and  grateful.  In  Calvert's  estimation  it  was  but 
a  simple  service  he  had  rendered  the  poor  soldier — 
rescuing  him  from  many  dying  and  wounded  comrades 
who  had  fallen  in  that  first  fierce  onslaught  upon  the 
Yorktown  redoubt.  He  had  directed  the  surgeon  to 
dress  the  man's  wounds — he  had  been  knocked  on 
the  head  with  a  musket — and  had  eased  the  poor 
wretch's  mind  greatly  by  speaking  to  him  in  his  own 
tongue,  for  most  of  the  French  soldiery  under  Rocham- 
beau  and  Lafayette  knew  not  a  word  of  English. 
When  Bertrand  recovered,  Calvert  had  sent  him  a 
small  sum  of  money  and  a  kind  message,  neither  of 
which  was  the  man  likely  to  forget.  Never,  in  the 
whole  course  of  his  pinched,  oppressed  young  life  in 

54 


AT   THE  PALAIS  ROYAL 

France,  had  kindness  and  consideration  been  shown 
him  from  those  above  him.  Tyranny  and  abuse  had 
been  his  lot  and  the  lot  of  those  all  about  him,  and 
such  a  passionate  devotion  for  the  young  American 
officer  was  kindled  in  his  breast  as  would  have  greatly 
astonished  its  object  had  he  known  it.  It  was  with 
an  almost  ludicrous  air  of  solicitude  that  Bertrand 
placed  the  coffee  before  Calvert  and  poured  out  his 
cognac  and  then  hung  about,  waiting  anxiously  for 
any  sign  or  word  from  him. 

"  Is  it  not  the  best  coffee  in  the  world  ? "  said 
Beaufort,  sipping  his  complacently  and  looking  about 
the  crowded  room  for  a  familiar  face.  Apparently  he 
found  none,  for,  leaning  across  the  table  and  speaking 
to  Calvert  quite  loudly  and  in  an  insolent  tone,  he 
said,  "  'Tis  a  good  thing  the  coffee  is  of  the  best,  or,  my 
word  of  honor,  I  would  not  come  to  a  place  which 
gentlemen  seem  to  have  abandoned  and  to  which 
canaille  flock."  And  with  that  he  leaned  back  and 
looked  about  him  with  a  fine  nonchalance.  There  was 
a  little  murmur  of  suppressed  ejaculations  and  men- 
aces from  those  nearest  who  had  heard  his  words, 
but  it  soon  subsided  at  the  sight  of  Monsieur  de  Beau- 
fort's handsome  face  and  reckless  air. 

"  There  is  also  another  charm  about  the  Cafe  de 

s 

1'Ecole,  my  dear  Calvert,"  he  said,  speaking  in  a 
slightly  lower  tone  and  with  an  appreciative  smile. 
"  Monsieur  Charpentier,  our  host,  has  a  most  undeni- 
ably pretty  daughter.  She  is  the  caissiere,  fortu- 
nately, and  may  be  seen — and  admired — at  any  time. 
We  will  see  her  as  we  go  out.  And  speaking  of 

55 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

beauties,"  he  continued,  turning  the  stem  of  his  wine- 
glass slowly  around,  "  you  have  asked  no  word  of 
Mademoiselle  d'Azay — or,  I  should  say,  Madame  la 
Marquise  de  St.  Andre !  " 

"  Ah !  "  said  Calvert,  politely,  "  is  she  married  ?  " 

"  What  a  cold-blooded  creature !  "  said  Beaufort, 
laughing.  "  Let  me  tell  you,  Calvert,  the  marriage 
which  you  take  so  nonchalantly  was  the  sensation  of 
Paris.  It  was  the  talk  of  the  town  for  weeks,  and  the 
strangest  marriage — if  marriage  it  can  be  called — ever 
heard  of.  Tis  now  three  years  since  Mademoiselle 
Adrienne  d'Azay  finished  her  studies  at  the  Couvent 
de  Marmoutier  ('tis  an  old  abbaye  on  the  banks  of  the 
Loire,  Calvert,  near  Azay-le-Roi,  the  chateau  of  the 
d'Azay  family)  and  came  to  dazzle  all  Paris  under  the 
chaperonage  of  her  great  aunt,  the  old  Duchesse 
d'Azay.  As  you  have  seen  her  portrait — and,  I  dare 
say,  remember  its  smallest  detail — I  will  spare  you 
the  recital  of  those  charms  which  captivated  half  the 
young  gentlemen  of  our  world  on  her  first  appearance 
at  court.  She  became  the  rage,  and,  before  six  months 
had  passed,  Madame  d'Azay  had  arranged  a  marriage 
with  the  rich  old  St.  Andre.  She  would  sell  her 
own  soul  for  riches,  Calvert;  judge,  therefore,  how 
willingly  she  would  sell  her  niece's  soul."  He  paused 
an  instant  and  tapped  impatiently  on  the  table  for 
another  glass  of  cognac. 

"  It  was  a  great  match,  I  suppose,"  hazarded 
Calvert. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  Monsieur  de  St.  Andre  was  a  man  high 
in  the  confidence  of  both  the  King  and  Queen — and  let 

56 


AT   THE  PALAIS  ROYAL 

me  tell  thee,  'tis  no  easy  matter  to  please  both  the  King 
and  Queen — and  a  man  of  rank  and  fortune.  'Tis 
safe  to  say  the  Duchess  was  most  concerned  as  to  his 
fortune,  which  was  enormous.  He  was  a  trifle  old, 
however,  for  Mademoiselle  d'Azay,  he  being  near 
sixty-five,  and  she  but  eighteen." 

"  Gracious  Heaven !  "  ejaculated  Calvert.  "  What  a 
cruel  wrong  to  so  young  a  creature!  What  a  mar- 
riage !  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  believe  only  the  recital  of  wrong 
has  power  to  stir  that  cold  American  blood  of  thine," 
said  Beaufort,  laughing  again.  "  But  do  not  excite 
yourself  too  much.  After  all  'twas  scarcely  a  mar- 
riage, for,  within  an  hour  after  the  ceremony,  the  eld- 
erly bridegroom  was  alone  in  his  travelling  coach  on 
his  way  to  Madrid,  sent  thither  at  the  instant  and 
urgent  command  of  the  King  on  important  private 
business  connected  with  the  Family  Compact.  From 
that  journey  he  never  returned  alive,  being  attacked 
with  a  fatal  fluxion  of  the  lungs  at  a  great  public  ban- 
quet given  in  his  honor  by  Count  Florida  Blanca.  His 
body  was  brought  back  to  France,  and  his  soi-disant 
widow  mourned  him  decorously  for  a  year.  Since  then 
she  has  been  the  gayest,  as  she  is  the  fairest,  creature 
in  the  great  world  of  Paris." 

"  Is  she,  indeed,  so  beautiful  ?  "  asked  Calvert,  in- 
differently. 

"  She  is  truly  incomparable,"  returned  Beaufort, 
warmly.  "  And  I  promise  thee,  Ned,"  he  went  on,  in 
his  reckless  fashion,  "  that  that  cool  head  of  thine  and 
that  stony  heart — if  thou  hast  a  heart,  which  I  scarce 

57 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

believe — will  be  stirred  at  sight  of  Madame  de  St. 
Andre,  or  I  know  not  the  power  of  a  lovely  face — • 
and  no  man  knows  better  the  power  of  a  lovely  face 
than  I,  who  am  moved  by  every  one  I  see !  "  he  added, 
laughing  ruefully.  "  Besides  her  beauty  and  her 
fortune,  there  is  a  wayward  brilliancy  about  her,  a 
piquant  charm  in  her  state  of  widowed  maid,  that 
makes  her  fairly  irresistible.  The  Queen  finds  her 
charming  and  that  Madame  de  Polignac  is  pleased 
to  be  jealous.  'Tis  even  said  that  d'Artois  and 
d'Orleans,  those  archenemies,  agree  only  in  finding 
her  enchanting,  and  the  rumor  goes  that  'twas  d'Artois's 
influence  that  sent  the  elderly  husband  off  post-haste 
to  Madrid.  A  score  of  gentlemen  dangle  after  her 
constantly,  though  apparently  there  is  no  one  she 
prefers — unless,"  he  hesitated,  and  Calvert  noticed 
that  he  paled  a  little  and  spoke  with  an  effort,  "  unless 
it  be  Monsieur  le  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire." 

"  And  who  is  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  ?  "  inquired 
Calvert. 

"  A  most  charming  man  and  consummate  villain," 
says  Beaufort,  with  a  gloomy  smile.  '  The  fine  fieur 
of  our  aristocracy,  a  maker  of  tender  rhymes,  a  singer 
of  tender  songs,  a  good  swordsman,  a  brilliant  wit, 
a  perfect  courtier,  a  lucky  gambler — in  a  word,  just 
that  fortunate  combination  of  noble  and  ignoble 
qualities  most  likely  to  fascinate  Madame  de  St. 
Andre,"  and  a  shadow  settled  for  a  moment  on  the 
debonair  face  of  Monsieur  de  Beaufort. 

It  did  not  need  that  shadow  or  that  effort  at  light 
raillery  to  inform  Calvert  that  Beaufort  himself  was 

58 


AT   THE  PALAIS  ROYAL 

an  unsuccessful  unit  in  the  "  score  of  gentlemen  who 
dangled  after  "  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  and  he  would 
have  essayed  to  offer  his  friend  some  comfort  had  he 
known  how.  But  the  truth  was  that  Calvert,  never 
having  experienced  the  anguish  and  delights  of  love, 
felt  a  natural  hesitation  in  proffering  either  sympathy 
or  advice  to  one  so  much  wiser  than  himself. 

While  he  was  revolving  some  expression  of  interest 
(it  was  always  his  way  to  think  well  before  speaking 
and  to  keep  silent  if  his  thoughts  were  not  to  his 
entire  satisfaction),  a  sudden  murmur,  which  rapidly 
developed  into  a  deep  roar  as  it  drew  nearer,  was  heard 
outside,  and  at  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole  the  shouting  ceased 
and  one  man's  voice,  harsh,  incisive,  agitated,  could 
be  heard  above  all  the  others.  Looking  through  the 
wide  glass  doors  Calvert  and  Beaufort  saw  in  the 
gathering  dusk  the  possessor  of  that  voice  being 
raised  hurriedly  upon  the  shoulders  of  those  who 
stood  nearest  him  in  the  throng,  and  in  that  precarious 
position  he  remained  for  a  few  minutes  haranguing  the 
turbulent  mass  of  people.  Suddenly  he  sprang  down, 
and,  elbowing  his  way  through  the  crowd,  he  entered 
the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole,  followed  by  as  many  as  could 
squeeze  themselves  into  the  already  crowded  room. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  Beaufort  demanded,  languidly,  of 
Bertrand.  The  man,  by  tiptoeing,  was  trying  to  see 
over  the  heads  of  the  smokers  and  drinkers,  who  had 
risen  to  their  feet  and  were  applauding  the  orator  who 
had  just  entered. 

"  It  is  Monsieur  Danton  who  is  come  in.  He  is 
making  his  way  to  the  caisse,  doubtless  to  speak  with 

59 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Madame,    his    wife.     Evidently    Monsieur    has    just 
addressed  a  throng  in  the  Gardens." 

"  Ah !  then  'tis  certainly  time  that  we  go,  since 
Monsieur  Danton  invades  the  place.  Tis  a  poverty- 
stricken  young  lawyer  from  Arcis-sur-Aube,  my  dear 
Calvert,"  said  Beaufort,  disdainfully,  "  who  has  but 
lately  come  to  Paris  and  who,  having  no  briefs  to 
occupy  his  time,  fills  it  to  good  advantage  by  wooing 
and  marrying  the  pretty  Charpentfer.  The  pretty 
Charpentier  has  a  pretty  dot.  I  can't  show  you  the 
dot,  but  come  with  me  and  I  will  show  you  the  beauty." 

He  got  up  from  the  table  followed  by  Calvert  and, 
with  his  hand  laid  lightly  on  his  silver  dress  sword, 
made  his  way  easily  through  the  surly  crowd,  who, 
seemingly  impelled  by  some  irresistible  power  and 
against  their  wish,  opened  a  passage  for  him  and  the 
young  stranger.  As  they  drew  near  the  comptoir,  Cal- 
vert perceived  for  the  first  time,  leaning  against  it,  the 
man  who  had  created  such  an  excitement  by  his  words 
and  sudden  entrance.  He  was  a  big,  burly  figure,  with 
a  head  and  face  that  had  something  of  the  bull  in  them. 
Indeed,  they  had  come  by  that  resemblance  honestly, 
for  a  bull  had  tossed  him,  goring  the  lips  and  flattening 
the  nose,  and  the  marks  were  never  to  be  effaced. 
Smallpox,  too,  had  left  its  sign  in  the  deeply  scarred 
skin.  Only  the  eyes  remained  to  show  one  what 
might  have  been  the  original  beauty  of  the  face.  They 
shone,  brilliant  and  keen,  from  beneath  great  tufted 
eyebrows,  above  which  waved  a  very  lion's  mane  of 
rough,  dark  hair. 

"  A  face  to  be  remembered,  this  Monsieur  Dan- 
60 


AT   THE   PALAIS   ROYAL 

ton's,"  said  Calvert  to  himself.  And,  indeed,  it  was. 
Years  afterward,  when  he  saw  it  again  and  for  the 
last  time,  every  detail  of  that  rugged  countenance  was 
as  fresh  in  his  memory  as  it  was  at  that  moment 
in  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole.  As  for  Danton,  all  uncon- 
scious of  the  young  American's  scrutiny,  his  gaze  was 
bent  upon  the  pretty,  vivacious  little  beauty  who  sat 
behind  the  caisse,  and  had  so  lately  become  Madame 
Danton.  As  he  looked,  the  harsh  features  softened 
and  a  sentimental  expression  came  into  the  keen  eyes. 
"  'Tis  the  same  conquered,  slavish  look  the  painter 
hath  put  into  the  lion's  face  when  Ariadne  is  by," 
mused  Calvert  to  himself. 

Beaufort  was  counting  out  silver  pieces  slowly, 
and  slowly  dropping  them  on  the  caissiere's  desk.  He 
looked  at  Calvert  and  nodded  appreciatively,  coolly 
toward  Madame  Danton. 

"  Quelle  charmante  tete,"  he  said,  lightly,  noncha- 
lantly. 

The  burly  figure  leaning  on  the  comptoir  straight- 
ened up  as  if  stung  into  action ;  the  softened  eyes 
kindled  with  speechless  wrath  and  flamed  into  the  im- 
perturbable, debonair  face  of  Monsieur  de  Beaufort. 
One  of  the  silver  pieces  rolled  upon  the  floor.  Calvert 
stooped  quickly  for  it.  "  Madame  will  permit  me," 
he  said,  courteously,  and,  lifting  his  hat,  placed  the 
coin  upon  the  desk.  Without  another  look  or  word 
he  turned  and,  followed  leisurely  by  Beaufort,  made 
his  way  to  the  door. 

"  An  insolent,"  said  Danton,  savagely,  to  Madame, 
and  gazing  after  Beaufort's  retreating  back. 

61 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Yes,"  returned  Madame,  grinding  her  pretty  teeth 
with  rage — "  Monsieur  le  Vicomte  de  Beaufort  is  an 
insolent — and  not  for  the  first  time." 

"  I  shall  remember  Monsieur  le  Vicomte  de  Beau- 
fort's insolence  as  well  as  I  shall  remember  the  Eng- 
lishman's politeness." 

Bertrand  edged  nearer  the  herculean  Monsieur 
Danton.  "  Pardon,  M'sieur,"  he  commenced,  nervous- 
ly, "  it  is  not  an  Englishman — it  is  an  American — a 
young  American  officer — Monsieur  Calvert — aide-de- 
camp to  Monsieur  le  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  before 
Yorktown.  A  patriot  of  patriots,  Messieurs,"  he  went 
on,  turning  to  the  listening  throng  about  him ;  "  a  lover 
of  freedom,  a  compassionate  heart.  He  saved  me 
from  death,  Messieurs,  he  gave  me  money,  he  sent 
me  clothing,  he  saw  that  I  was  fed  and  cared  for, 
Messieurs."  He  told  his  story  with  many  gesticula- 
tions and  much  emphasis,  interrupted  now  and  then 
by  huzzas  for  the  young  American. 

Calvert  would  have  been  vastly  astonished  to  know 
that  the  lifting  of  his  hat  and  his  courteous  tone  had 
contrived  to  make  a  popular  hero  of  him;  as  much 
astonished,  perhaps,  as  Beaufort  to  know  that  his 
careless,  impertinent  compliment  to  Madame  Danton's 
charming  head  had  sealed  the  fate  of  his  own.  But 
'tis  in  this  hap-hazard  fashion  that  the  destiny  of  mor- 
tals is  decided.  We  are  but  the  victims  of  chance  or 
mischance.  Of  all  vainglorious  philosophies,  that  of 
predestination  is  the  vainest. 

Outside,  the  night  had  fallen,  and  the  shops,  arcades, 
and  gardens  of  the  Palais  Royal  were  ablaze  with 

62 


AT   THE   PALAIS   ROYAL 

innumerable  candles  and  illuminated  Chinese  lanterns. 
Before  the  entrance  Monsieur  de  Beaufort's  groom 
was  walking  his  half-frozen  and  restless  horses  up  and 
down  the  icy  street. 

Beaufort  laid  his  hand  on  Calvert's  arm.  "  Come," 
he  said,  gloomily,  "  the  place  is  become  insufferable. 
Let  me  take  you  back  to  the  Legation."  Spring- 
ing in  he  turned  his  horses'  heads  once  more  toward 
the  Place  Louis  XV.  and  the  Champs  Elysees,  and, 
while  he  guided  them  through  the  crowded  and 
badly  lighted  thoroughfare,  Calvert  had  leisure  to 
think  upon  the  events  of  the  last  hour.  It  was  with 
resentment  and  shame  he  reflected  upon  his  friend's 
airy  insolence  to  the  pretty  caissiere  of  the  Cafe  de 
1'Ecole.  That  it  should  have  been  offered  in  her  hus- 
band's presence  was  a  gratuitous  aggravation  of  the 
offence.  That  it  should  have  been  offered  her  with 
such  disdainful  contempt  for  any  objection  on  her 
part  or  her  husband's,  with  such  easy  assurance  that 
there  could  be  no  objections  on  their  part,  was 
another  gratuitous  aggravation  of  the  offence.  In 
that  noble  insolence  Calvert  read  a  sign  of  the  times 
more  legible  than  the  clearest  writing  in  the  pam- 
phlets flooding  the  book-stalls  of  the  Palais  Royal. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   PRIVATE   SECRETARY 

THEY  drove  in  silence  almost  to  the  rue  Neuve  de 
Berry,  Calvert  musing  on  the  strange  glimpse  he  had 
had  of  life  in  Paris,  Beaufort  busy  with  his  restless 
horses.  At  the  grille  of  the  Legation  Calvert  alighted 
and  Beaufort  bade  him  good-by,  still  with  the  gloomy, 
foreboding  look  on  his  handsome  face. 

When  Calvert  had  mounted  the  great  stairway, 
with  the  carved  salamanders  on  the  balustrade  ever 
crawling  their  way  up  and  down,  he  found  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson sitting  alone  before  the  bright  fire  in  his 
library.  As  soon  as  he  heard  the  young  man's  step 
he  looked  up  eagerly. 

"  At  last !  "  he  cried.  "  I  was  wishing  that  you 
would  come  in.  Mr.  Morris  has  just  been  despatched 
in  my  carriage  to  the  rue  Richelieu,  and  I  was  begin- 
ning to  wonder  what  that  wild  Beaufort  had  done  with 
you  to  keep  you  so  late." 

"  We  are  but  just  returned  from  a  sight  of  the 
Palais  Royal,"  said  Calvert,  throwing  off  his  great- 
coat and  sitting  down  beside  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  rang 
for  candles  and  a  box  of  his  Virginia  tobacco.  "  And 
a  strange  enough  sight  it  was — a  turbulent  crowd, 
and  much  political  speaking  from  hoarse-throated 
giants  held  aloft  on  their  friends'  shoulders." 

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THE  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

"  A  strange  enough  place,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, shaking  his  head  and  smiling  a  little  at  Calvert's 
wholesale  description  of  it.  "  'Tis  the  political  centre 
of  Paris,  in  fact,  and  though  the  crowds  may  be  turbu- 
lent and  the  orators  windy,  yet  'tis  there  that  the  fruit- 
ful seed  of  the  political  harvest,  which  this  great  coun- 
try will  reap  with  such  profit,  is  being  sown.  '  Despise 
not  the  day  of  small  things/  "  he  went  on,  cheerfully. 
"  These  rude,  vehement  orators,  with  their  narrow, 
often  erroneous,  ideas,  are  nevertheless  doing  a  good 
work.  They  are  opening  the  minds  of  the  ignorant, 
clearing  a  way  for  broader,  higher  ideals  to  lodge 
therein;  they  are  the  pioneers,  in  this  hitherto  undis- 
covered country  for  France,  of  civil  liberty,  and  of 
freedom  of  thought  and  action." 

"  And  these  vehement  orators,  with  their  often 
erroneous  ideas — will  they  do  no  harm?  Will  these 
pioneers  not  lead  their  fellows  astray  in  that  undis- 
covered country  ?  "  suggested  Calvert,  not  without  a 
blush  to  think  that  he  had  the  temerity  to  question 
the  soundness  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  views. 

"  Were  we  not  inexperienced,  hot-headed  men  who 
gathered  in  the  Apollo  room  at  the  Raleigh  to  protest 
against  the  proceedings  in  Massachusetts?  Were  we 
not  rash,  windy  orators  in  the  House  of  Burgesses — 
nay,  in  Congress  itself?  Yet  did  we  not  accomplish 
great  things — great  good?"  He  laid  his  hand  affec- 
tionately on  the  shoulder  of  the  young  man  who 
remained  silent,  revolving  many  things,  ^Eneas-like, 
but  too  modest  to  oppose  himself  further  to  Mr. 
Jefferson. 

65 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  No,  no,  my  boy,"  continued  Mr.  Jefferson,  after 
an  instant's  silence,  "  do  not  believe  that  the  awaken- 
ing which  made  of  us  a  great  nation  will  not  be 
equally  glorious  for  France!  And  with  such  leaders 
as  are  hers,  will  she  not  march  proudly  and  tri- 
umphantly forward  to  her  day  of  glory?  Will  not 
a  Lafayette  do  even  more  for  his  own  country  than 
ever  he  did  for  America?  Even  I  have  been  able 
to  help  somewhat.  'Tis  true,  as  Minister  from  the 
United  States  of  America,  I  cannot  use  my  official 
influence,  but  surely  as  a  patriot,  as  an  American 
citizen  who  is  profoundly,  overwhelmingly  grateful 
for  the  aid,  the  generosity,  the  friendship  of  this  great 
country,  I  can  give  counsel,  the  results  of  our  expe- 
rience, a  word  of  encouragement,  of  good  cheer." 

He  paused,  his  noble  face  alight  with  enthusiasm 
and  emotion.  Of  all  the  fine  traits  of  that  fine  char- 
acter none  was  more  strongly  marked  than  that  of 
gratitude.  Never  ashamed  to  show  it,  his  only  fear 
was  that  he  might  not  prove  grateful  enough.  Other 
Americans,  of  as  great  talents  and  colder  hearts,  could 
find  it  easy  to  believe  that  France  had  extended  her 
aid  to  us  for  diplomatic  purposes — to  guard  hef 
own  interests  and  humble  her  adversary,  England — 
could  look  on  with  neutral  eyes  at  her  awful  struggles, 
could  keep  America  calmly  aloof  from  all  her  entangle- 
ments. Not  so  Mr.  Jefferson.  Such  a  return  for 
her  services  seemed  to  him  but  the  acme  of  selfishness 
and  ingratitude.  It  was  not  bad  statesmanship  that 
made  him  bear  so  long  with  the  blunders,  the  imperti- 
nences, the  fatuity  of  Monsieur  Genet;  it  was  the  re- 

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THE  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

membrance  of  all  the  benefits  showered  upon  us  by  the 
country  which  that  charlatan  represented.  Perhaps 
'tis  well  that  those  who  hold  the  welfare  of  a  nation  in 
their  hands  should,  like  the  gods,  feel  neither  fear, 
nor  anger,  nor  love,  nor  hatred,  nor  gratitude — in  a 
word,  should  be  unmoved  by  forces  that  sway  the 
common  mortal,  so  that,  free  from  all  earthly  claims, 
that  nation  soars  away  to  dizzying  heights  of  pros- 
perity and  power.  Pro  bono  publico  is  a  wellnigh 
irresistible  plea.  But  there  are  statesmen  in  whose 
code  of  morals  national  virtues  are  identical  with 
personal  virtues,  national  crimes  with  personal  crimes. 
Such  a  one  was  Mr.  Jefferson. 

"  No,  no,"  he  went  on,  musingly,  filling  his  long 
pipe  with  the  mild,  fragrant  Virginia  tobacco  which 
had  been  shipped  to  him  in  the  packet  of  two  months 
back,  "  we  must  not  forget  our  obligations.  Would 
that  we  could  pay  some  of  the  moneyed  ones'!  The 
finances  of  this  country  are  in  a  deplorable  state  and 
there  are  millions  of  indebtedness  on  account  of  our 
war.  But  if  we  cannot  do  that,  we  can,  at  least,  give 
our  moral  aid  to  those  who  are  trying  to  bring  about 
great  reforms  in  this  kingdom — reforms  which,  I  hope, 
will  be  carried  through  at  the  forthcoming  States- 
General  to  be  held  in  May.  Already  the  elections  are 
preparing,  and  some  of  our  friends  will  undoubtedly 
represent  their  orders.  D'Azay  and  Lafayette  will 
assuredly  be  nominated  from  the  noblesse." 

"  General  de  Lafayette  and  d'Azay !  "  said  Calvert. 
"  I  should  like  to  see  them  again.  The  last  time  was 
at  Monticello." 

67 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Yes,  yes,"  returned  Mr.  Jefferson,  smiling  at  the 
pleasant  recollection  of  that  last  evening  in  Virginia. 
"  Lafayette  is  still  in  Auvergne,  I  believe,  busy  with 
his  elections,  so  that  I  fear  he  will  not  be  here 
to-morrow,  the  evening  of  the  weekly  Legation  re- 
ception. But  d'Azay  will  doubtless  present  himself, 
since  Monsieur  de  Beaufort  tells  us  he  returns 
to-morrow.  Indeed,  he  and  his  aunt,  Madame  la 
Duchesse  d'Azay,  and  his  sister,  the  lovely  Madame 
de  St.  Andre,  are  among  my  stanchest  friends  in 
this  great  city  and  nearly  always  do  me  the  honor  to 
be  my  guests  at  the  receptions  and  dinners  I  find  it 
both  so  agreeable  and  necessary  to  give.  I  have 
already  engaged  Mr.  Morris's  company  for  the  evening. 
It  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  introduce  two  such 
Americans  to  the  world  of  Paris,"  and  he  laid  his 
hand  affectionately,  in  his  customary  fashion,  on  the 
young  man's  shoulder. 

As  Mr.  Jefferson  had  said,  he  entertained  fre- 
quently, and  'twas  a  very  brilliant  society  that  gathered 
at  least  once  a  week  in  the  salon  of  the  minister  from 
the  young  Republic,  drawn  thither  by  policy,  curiosity, 
respect  and  admiration  for  Mr.  Jefferson,  a  desire  to 
consult  him  on  the  important  topics  of  the  hour,  and 
a  certain  freedom  from  constraint — a  feeling  as  of 
being  on  neutral  ground.  For  already  the  salons  of 
Paris  were  divided  against  themselves.  No  longer 
simply  the  gatherings  of  fashionable,  of  charming, 
of  frivolous  men  and  women,  they  had  grown  some- 
what serious  with  the  seriousness  of  the  time.  In  the 
salon  of  Madame  Necker  gathered  the  solid  support- 

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THE  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

ers  of  the  King,  and,  above  all,  the  solid  supporters  of 
Monsieur  Necker,  who  was  at  the  height  of  his  power 
and  complacently  ready  to  play  the  role  of  saviour  to 
his  country.  At  the  Palais  Royal  crowded  the  queer 
followers  of  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Orleans,  the  enemies 
of  the  King.  At  the  house  of  the  beautiful  Theroigne 
de  Mericourt  were  to  be  found  the  men  of  the  most 
advanced,  the  most  revolutionary,  ideas,  the  future 
murderers  and  despoilers  of  France.  In  the  salon 
of  the  exquisite  Madame  de  Sabran  flocked  all  those 
young  aristocrats,  wits,  sprigs  of  nobility,  who  believed 
in  nothing  in  Heaven  or  earth  save  in  the  Old  Order. 
There  was  the  serious  circle  around  Madame  de  Tesse, 
where  new  ideas  were  advanced  and  discussed,  and 
there  was  the  gay  circle  of  Madame  de  Beauharnais, 
whose  chief  attractions  were  her  delightful  dinners, 
and  who,  the  wits  declared,  had  "  intended  to  found 
a  salon,  but  had  only  succeeded  in  starting  a  restau- 
rant." Besides  these,  there  were  a  dozen  other 
important  centres  representing  as  many  different 
shades  of  political  faith.  But  in  the  salon  of  the 
American  Legation  gathered  the  best  of  every  fol- 
lowing, for,  although  Mr.  Jefferson's  democratic  prin- 
ciples were,  of  course,  well  and  widely  known,  yet 
was  he  so  respected,  his  moderation  and  fairness  so 
recognized,  that  all  considered  it  an  honor  to  be  his 
friend  and  his  presence  a  guarantee  of  amicable  dis- 
cussion and  good-fellowship. 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  meet  your  new  friends, 
sir,"  said  Calvert,  smiling  back  at  Mr.  Jefferson  as 
that  gentleman  arose  and  stood  with  his  back  to  the 

69 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

fire,  his  tall,  thin  figure  silhouetted  by  the  firelight 
on  the  wall  (the  candles  were  still  unlit),  his  hands 
clasped  lightly  behind  his  back,  as  was  his  wont.  "  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  an  old  one  this  afternoon." 
"  Indeed,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson,  "  and  who  was  that  ?  " 
"  A  poor  French  private  named  Bertrand,  who 
served  in  a  company  under  General  de  Lafayette's 
orders  in  the  attack  on  Yorktown,  and  whom  I  had  the 
occasion  to  know  rather  well.  I  fancy,"  he  went  on, 
smiling  a  little  at  the  recollection  of  Beaufort's  haugh- 
tiness, "  that  Beaufort  was  somewhat  amazed  at  the 
cordiality  of  our  meeting." 

"  Beaufort !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  a  slight 
frown  gathered  on  his  forehead.  "  I  fancy  that  Beau- 
fort and  his  ilk  will  be  amazed  at  many  things  shortly. 
Ned,  I  warn  you  to  beware  of  him.  He  has  changed 
greatly  since  the  days  when  he  fought  so  gallantly 
under  Rochambeau  in  our  great  War  of  Independ- 
ence. He  has  become  an  aristocrat  of  aristocrats, 
a  popinjay,  a  silken  dandy,  like  most  of  the  young 
nobles  at  this  court.  He  is  high  in  the  King's  favor 
and  devoted  to  his  cause.  Though  your  friend- 
ships and  opinions  can  have  no  official  weight,  as 
you  are  my  private  secretary,  still  'twere  well  to  be 
careful,  to  be  as  neutral  as  possible,  to  occasion  no 
offence.  And,  indeed,  Mr.  Secretary,"  he  went  on, 
shaking  off  his  serious  air  and  speaking  in  a  lighter 
tone,  "  I  should  be  instructing  you  in  your  duties, 
explaining  the  diplomatic  situation  to  you,  instead 
of  discussing  foolish  young  noblemen  like  Monsieur 
de  Beaufort." 

70 


THE  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

"  I  shall  remember  your  advice,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  said 
Calvert,  quietly,  "  and  I  am  ready  for  any  instruc- 
tions and  duties." 

"  After  all,  'twill  be  unwise  to  begin  them  this  even- 
ing," returned  Mr.  Jefferson,  shaking  his  head.  "  You 
are  doubtless  wearied  with  your  journey,  and  we  had 
better  postpone  your  induction  into  office  until  to-mor- 
row, when  we  can  take  the  whole  day  for  business. 
You  can  have  no  idea,  my  dear  Ned,  of  the  number- 
less affairs  put  into  our  hands,"  he  went  on,  with  a 
note  of  anxiety  in  his  voice,  "  or  with  what  difficulty 
many  of  them  are  arranged.  The  constant  change 
of  ministers  is  most  disconcerting  among  the  many 
disconcerting  factors  of  official  existence  here,  and 
just  now  I  am  harassed  by  my  non-success  in  getting 
from  Congress  an  appropriation  to  pay  bills  for  medals 
and  for  the  redemption  of  our  captives.  It  seems 
that  the  interest  on  the  Dutch  loans  until  1790 
must  be  paid  before  other  claims,  which  leaves  but 
a  small  chance  for  those  bills  to  be  liquidated.  By 
the  way,  to-morrow  you  must  write  me  a  letter  to 
Monsieur  de  Villedeuil  a  propos  of  a  Mr.  Nesbit  and 
his  debts — an  affair  lately  put  into  our  care.  But 
there!  no  business  this  evening.  'Tis  but  a  short 
while  before  dinner,  which  you  and  I  will  take  quite 
alone  this  evening,  Ned,  and  you  must  tell  me  of 
yourself  and  what  you  have  been  doing  all  these  years 
at  the  College  of  Princeton." 

Mr.  Jefferson  looked  at  the  young  man  before  him 
with  such  affectionate  interest  that  Calvert,  though 
he  was  the  least  talkative  or  egotistic  of  mortals, 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

found  himself  telling  of  his  college  life,  the  vacations 
at  Strathore,  and  his  visits  to  Philadelphia  and  New 
York. 

Now  and  then  one  sees  a  person  in  the  mezzo  cammin 
of  his  years  so  happily  constituted  by  nature  as  to 
attract  and  be  attracted  by  youth.  He  seems  to  hold 
some  fortunate,  ever-youthful  principle  of  life  denied  to 
the  rest  of  us.  It  was  so  with  Mr.  Jefferson.  States- 
man, philosopher,  scientist  himself,  he  yet  numbered 
the  young  and  inexperienced  among  his  many  friends, 
and  not  one  of  them  held  so  warm  a  place  in  his 
affections  as  young  Calvert  of  Strathore.  He  had  re- 
ceived from  Dr.  Witherspoon  the  accounts  of  his  ca- 
reer at  college,  where,  although  never  greatly  popular, 
he  had  won  his  way  by  his  quiet  self-reliance,  entire 
sincerity,  and  the  accuracy  and  solidity  of  his  mind 
rather  than  by  any  brilliancy  of  intellect.  These  ster- 
ling gifts  had  first  attracted  Mr.  Jefferson's  notice  and 
excited  his  admiration  and  affection.  The  lonely  con- 
dition of  the  young  man,  too,  though  borne  by  him 
in  that  uncomplaining  fashion  characteristic  of  him, 
touched  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  more,  perhaps,  for  the  very 
silence  and  stoicism  with  which  'twas  supported.  He 
was,  therefore,  greatly  surprised  when  he  heard  Cal- 
vert allude  to  it  for  the  first  time  on  that  winter's  after- 
noon. The  young  man  had  taken  Mr.  Jefferson's  place 
before  the  open  fire  and  now  stood  leaning  against  the 
chimney-piece  as  he  talked,  while  Mr.  Jefferson,  sitting 
beside  the  reading-table,  drew  deep  whiffs  of  the  fra- 
grant tobacco  from  his  long  pipe  and  listened  inter- 
estedly to  what  Calvert  had  to  say,  smiling  now  and 

72 


THE  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

then  appreciatively.  After  a  little  the  young  man 
ceased  to  speak  and  stood  gazing  meditatively  into  the 
glowing  logs. 

"  A  word  more,  Mr.  Jefferson,"  he  said,  at  length, 
still  gazing  into  the  gleaming  embers.  As  he  stood 
so,  looking  down  into  the  fire,  the  flickering  light 
leaped  up  and  played  upon  his  quiet  face,  upon  the 
clean-cut  lips,  the  firm  jaw,  the  aquiline  nose,  the  broad, 
smooth  brow,  from  which  the  dark-brown  hair,  un- 
powdered,  waved  back,  tied  at  the  neck  with  a  black 
ribbon  whose  ends  fell  down  upon  the  broad  young 
shoulders.  Perhaps  it  was  the  changing  light,  or 
perhaps  it  was  the  shadow  from  his  uplifted  hand  on 
which  he  lightly  leaned  his  head,  that  made  his  eyes 
seem  dark  and  troubled,  and  quite  unlike  their  usual 
serene  selves.  As  Mr.  Jefferson  looked  at  the  young 
man  an  uneasy  thought  took  shape  in  his  mind  that  that 
face's  cheerful  expression  had  altered  since  it  had 
entered  his  doors,  that  the  shadow  of  a  change  had 
somehow  come  upon  it. 

"  A  word  more,"  said  Calvert  again,  resting  his 
foot  upon  one  of  the  burnished  andirons,  and  removing 
his  gaze  from  the  flickering  fire  to  Mr.  Jefferson's 
attentive  face.  "  I  believe  that  not  in  my  letters,  and 
assuredly  not  since  getting  here,  have  I  thanked  you 
gratefully  enough  for  summoning  me  to  you.  'Tis 
such  an  honor  and  a  pleasure  to  be  with  you,  to  work 
for  you,  that  I  cannot  express  myself  as  I  would  like, 
sir.  Indeed,  I  have  long  years  of  kindnesses,  of  inter- 
est, of  affectionate  concern  for  my  welfare,  to  thank 
you  for.  I  do  not  think  you  can  ever  know  what  all 

73 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

that  means  to  one  so  entirely  alone  as  I  am  and  have 
been  almost  since  I  could  remember.  'Tis  only  in 
the  last  few  years,"  he  went  on,  hurriedly,  and  lower- 
ing his  hand  still  more  over  his  serious  eyes,  "  that 
I  have  entirely  realized  what  it  is  to  be  without 
kindred.  I  have  to  thank  you  and  a  few  other  kind 
friends  that  the  knowledge  has  been  so  long  withheld 
from  me." 

Mr.  Jefferson  looked  at  the  young  figure,  with  its 
unusual  air  of  sadness,  bending  over  the  firelight. 
Rising,  he  went  over  to  him  and  laid  his  hand  on  the 
young  man's  shoulder. 

"  There  can  be  no  question  of  thanks  between  us, 
Ned,"  he  said  at  length,  simply.  "  I  love  you  as 
though  you  were  my  son,  and  it  is  the  greatest 
pleasure  to  have  you  with  me."  And,  indeed,  it 
seemed  so  and  as  if  he  could  not  do  enough  for  his 
young  secretary.  And  that  night,  when  the  quiet  din- 
ner was  over  and  they  were  ready  to  retire,  he  himself 
lighted  Calvert  to  his  bed-chamber  and  left  him  with 
such  an  affectionate  good-night  that  the  young  man 
felt  happier  and  more  at  home  in  that  strange  house 
in  Paris  than  though  he  had  been  at  Strathore  itself, 
with  no  three  thousand  miles  of  vexed  ocean  between 
himself  and  Virginia. 


CHAPTER  VI 

MR.    CALVERT    MEETS    OLD   AND    NEW    FRIENDS 

THE  day  after  Calvert's  arrival  was  a  long  and  busy 
one  for  him.  He  was  closeted  from  morning  until 
night  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  explained  to  him  the 
many  private  affairs  awaiting  transaction,  as  well  as 
much  of  the  important  official  business  of  the  Lega- 
tion. It  was  also  necessary  that  he  should  be  thor- 
oughly au  courant  with  the  political  outlook  of  the 
times  and  the  entire  state  of  European  affairs,  and 
in  those  shifting,  troublesome  days  it  was  no  easy 
matter  to  thoroughly  understand  the  drift  of  events. 
Russia  was  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes  at  that  moment, 
and  on  her  throne  sat  the  most  ambitious,  the  most 
daring,  the  most  brilliant,  and  the  most  successful 
queen  the  world  has  ever  seen.  Catharine's  designs 
upon  Turkey,  in  which  she  was  abetted  by  Aus- 
tria's Emperor,  Joseph,  threatened  to  disrupt  Europe 
and  caused  Chatham's  son  to  look  with  anxious  eyes 
toward  the  East,  while  strengthening  his  hold  in  Hol- 
land. Poland,  desperate,  and  struggling  vainly  to 
keep  her  place  among  European  nations,  was  but  a 
plaything  in  the  hands  of  the  Empress,  aided  by  Prus- 
sia, who  realized  only  too  well  that  her  own  prosperity 
demanded  the  destruction  of  the  weaker  state.  In  the 
North,  Gustavus  ruled  in  isolated  splendor,  now  lend- 

75 


ing  his  aid  to  some  one  of  the  warring  continental 
powers,  now  arraying  himself  against  the  combatants 
to  preserve  some  semblance  of  a  balance  of  power. 

Calvert  threw  himself  with  enthusiasm  into  his 
work,  delighted  to  be  able  to  lighten  the  immense 
labors  of  Mr.  Jefferson  (who,  to  tell  the  truth,  was  al- 
ways overworked  and  underpaid),  and  happy  to  think 
he  was  of  service  to  one  who  had  always  shown  such 
kindness  to  him.  So  interested  and  energetic  was 
the  young  man  that  Mr.  Jefferson  had  much  diffi- 
culty in  getting  him  to  lay  aside  his  papers  and  make 
himself  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  evening.  Indeed, 
when,  after  dressing  quickly,  he  descended  to  the 
great  drawing-room,  which  looked  quite  splendid,  with 
its  multitude  of  wax  lights  and  gilded  mirrors,  he 
found  it  already  filled  with  a  company  more  splendid 
than  any  he  had  ever  before  seen.  As  he  approached, 
he  noticed  that  Mr.  Jefferson  was  conversing  with  a 
large  gentleman  of  pompous  appearance,  to  whom  he 
had  just  presented  Mr.  Morris,  and  to  whom  he  pre- 
sented Calvert  in  turn  as  "  Monsieur  Necker."  'Twas 
with  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  and  disappointment 
that  Calvert  saw  for  the  first  time  the  Minister  of 
Finance,  the  greatest  power  for  the  moment  in  France. 
He  was  a  large,  heavy  man,  whose  countenance,  with 
its  high,  retreating  forehead,  chin  of  unusual  length, 
vivid  brown  eyes  and  elevated  eyebrows,  was  intelli- 
gent, but  did  not  even  hint  at  genius.  There  was  about 
him  an  air  of  fatigue  and  laboriousness  which  sug- 
gested the  hard-working  and  successful  business  man 
rather  than  a  great  statesman  and  financier,  and  the 

76 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

courtly  richness  of  his  embroidered  velvet  dress  suited 
ill  his  commonplace  figure.  In  his  whole  personality 
Calvert  decided  there  was  no  suggestion  of  that  no- 
bility of  mind  and  nature  which  so  distinguished  Mr. 
Jefferson,  nor  of  that  keen  mentality  and  easy  ele- 
gance of  manner  so  characteristic  of  Mr.  Gouverneur 
Morris. 

"  His  looks  seem  to  say, '  I  am  the  man/  "  whispered 
that  gentleman  to  Calvert  as  Monsieur  Necker  turned 
aside  for  an  instant  to  speak  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  and 
Calvert  could  not  help  smiling  at  the  humorous  and 
swift  summing-up  of  the  Minister's  character  and  the 
merry  twinkle  in  Mr.  Morris's  eye.  But  whatever  their 
opinion  of  his  talents,  Monsieur  Necker's  cordiality 
was  above  reproach,  and  it  was  with  elaborate  polite- 
ness that  he  presented  the  Americans  to  Madame 
Necker.  She  was  a  very  handsome  woman  still, 
retaining  traces  of  that  beauty  which  had  fired  Gibbon 
in  his  youth,  and  was  all  amiability  to  the  two 
strangers,  whom  she  introduced  to  her  daughter, 
Madame  la  Baronne  de  Stael-Holstein,  wife  of  the 
ambassador  from  Gustavus  III.  to  the  court  of  Louis 
XVI. 

Madame  de  Stael  stood  with  her  back  to  the  open 
fire,  her  hands  clasped  behind  her,  her  brilliant  black 
eyes  flashing  upon  the  assembled  company.  Although 
she  had  accomplished  nothing  great  ('twas  before  she 
wrote  "  Corinne  "  or  "  De  1'Allemagne  "),  she  was  al- 
ready famous  for  her  appreciation  of  Monsieur  Rous- 
seau. Indeed,  there  was  something  so  unusual,  so 
forceful  in  this  large,  almost  masculine  woman,  that 

77 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Calvert  was  as  much  impressed  with  her  as  he  had 
been  disappointed  in  Monsieur  Necker.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  mediocre  talents  of  the  Minister  of  Finance 
had  flamed  into  genius  in  this  leonine  creature  who 
was  as  much  her  mother's  inferior  in  looks  as  her 
father's  superior  in  intelligence.  Mingled  with  this 
masculinity  of  mind  and  appearance  was  an  egotism, 
a  coquetry,  a  directness  of  thought  and  action  that 
combined  to  make  a  curious  personality.  It  was 
amusing  to  note  with  what  assiduity  she  showered  her 
attentions  on  Mr.  Morris,  the  man  of  the  world,  of 
whom  she  had  heard  much,  and  with  what  polite  indif- 
ference she  dismissed  Calvert — though  it  is  but  doing 
her  justice  to  say  that  later,  tiring  of  her  ineffectual 
efforts  to  interest  Mr.  Morris,  she  made  the  amende 
honorable  and  essayed  her  coquetries  on  the  younger 
man,  much  to  his  embarrassment.  With  a  slight 
gesture  of  command  she  pointed  Mr.  Morris  to  a  seat 
beside  her  on  the  divan  upon  which  she  had  sunk. 

"  Ah !  Monsieur,"  she  said  to  him,  with  a  languish- 
ing glance  out  of  her  brilliant  eyes  and  a  smile  that 
displayed  a  row  of  wonderfully  white  teeth,  "  Mon- 
sieur de  Lafayette  tells  me  that  you  are  un  homme 
d'esprit." 

"  Madame,"  returned  Mr.  Morris,  bowing  low — 
perhaps  to  conceal  the  ironical  smile  playing  about  his 
lips — "  I  do  not  feel  myself  worthy  of  such  a  compli- 
ment." 

"  Mais,  si ! "  insisted  Madame  de  Stael,  with  an- 
other glance,  which  did  not  and  was  not  meant  to  con- 
ceal her  newly  awakened  interest  in  the  distinguished- 

78 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

looking  American.    "  We  hear  that  Monsieur  has  even 
written  a  book  on  the  American  Constitution." 

"  Alas,  no,  Madame !  'Tis  a  libel,  I  assure  you," 
returned  Mr.  Morris,  this  time  laughing  outright  with 
the  amusement  he  could  no  longer  conceal.  "  I  have 
but  done  my  duty  in  helping  to  form  the  Constitution." 

"  Indeed ! "  exclaimed  Madame  de  Stael,  and  then 
lowering  her  voice  slightly  and  dropping  her  coquet- 
tish manner  for  a  serious  air,  "  perhaps  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  beg  of  Monsieur  Morris  some  ideas  la 
dessus.  There  is  nothing  this  poor,  distracted  France 
stands  so  much  in  need  of  as  a  constitution.  My 
father  is  a  great  man,  on  whom  the  King  and  country 
depend  for  everything"  ("In  my  life  I  never  saw 
such  exuberant  vanity,"  thought  Mr.  Morris  to  him- 
self), "  but  even  he  must  fail  at  times  if  not  supported 
by  a  reasonable  constitution.  You  must  come  to  see 
me,  Monsieur,  when  we  can  be  alone  and  discuss  this. 
One  who  has  helped  to  form  his  country's  laws  and 
has  been  wounded  in  her  services,"  and  she  pointed 
with  an  eloquent,  somewhat  theatrical  gesture  to  Mr. 
Morris's  wooden  stump,  "  cannot  fail  to  be  a  good 
adviser." 

"  Oh,  Madame,  I  must  indeed  cripple  myself  in  your 
esteem  now,"  says  Mr.  Morris,  laughing  again 
heartily.  '  'Twas  not  in  my  country's  service  that  I 
lost  my  leg — 'twas  but  a  runaway  accident  with  two 
fiery  little  ponies  in  Philadelphia!  But,  indeed,"  he 
goes  on,  still  laughing,  "  I  do  not  miss  it  greatly,  and 
can  get  around  as  easily  as  though  I  were  a  centipede 
and  had  a  hundred  good  legs  at  my  disposal !  " 

79 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

As  for  Calvert,  he  had  been  only  too  glad  to  make 
his  escape  on  Madame  de  StaeTs  cool  dismissal,  and 
had  retreated  to  the  side  of  Madame  Necker,  who  was 
kindness  itself  to  the  young  man,  pointing  out  the 
great  celebrities  of  the  Paris  world  who  thronged  the 
rooms,  and  presenting  him  to  many  of  the  most 
famous  people  of  the  day.  Thither  had  come  Monsieur 
le  Marechal  de  Castries,  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Aiguil- 
lon,  Mr.  Arthur  Young,  the  noted  English  traveller, 
His  Grace  the  Due  de  Penthievre,  the  richest  and  best 
noble  of  France,  together  with  Monsieur  de  Mont- 
morin,  of  the  Foreign  Affairs,  and  Monsieur  de  la 
Luzerne,  Minister  of  Marine.  Monsieur  Houdon,  the 
sculptor,  was  there,  with  a  young  poet  named  Andre 
Chenier,  and  later  entered  the  daintily  beautiful  Ma- 
dame de  Sabran,  followed  by  her  devoted  admirer, 
the  Chevalier  de  Boufflers,  abbe,  soldier,  diplomat, 
and  courtier.  Madame  de  Chastellux,  the  Duchesse 
d'Orleans's  lady-in-waiting,  whom  Calvert  had  once 
met  in  America,  was  also  making  a  tour  of  the  salon, 
accompanied  by  that  charming  hedonist,  Monsieur  le 
Vicomte  de  Segur,  than  whom  there  was  no  wilder, 
lighter-headed  youth  in  Paris,  unless  it  was  his  bosom 
friend,  Beaufort,  who,  catching  sight  of  Calvert  stand- 
ing beside  Madame  Necker,  straightway  went  over 
to  him. 

"As  ever,  the  Squire  of  Elderly  Danies,"  he 
whispered  to  Calvert,  smiling  mockingly.  "  Are  you 
looking  for  d'Azay?  Well,  he  has  not  arrived,  nor 
Madame  la  Marquise,  nor  Madame  la  Duchesse. 
Trust  me  for  seeing  them  as  soon  as  they  come!  In 

80 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

the  meantime,  my  dear  Calvert,  there  are  some  beau- 
ties here  whom  you  must  meet.  Madame  de  Flahaut, 
for  example.  I  shall  ask  Madame  Necker's  permis- 
sion to  take  you  to  her.  But  wait,"  he  said,  with  a  little 
laugh,  and,  laying  a  hand  on  Calvert's  arm,  "  we  are 
forestalled !  See,  Mr.  Morris  is  just  being  presented," 
and  he  motioned  to  where  a  beautiful  young  woman 
sat,  before  whom  Mr.  Morris  was  making  a  most 
profound  bow.  Calvert  thought  he  had  rarely  seen 
a  more  lovely  face,  though  there  was  a  touch  of  arti- 
ficiality about  it,  young  as  it  was,  which  he  did  not 
admire.  The  soft,  fair  hair  was  thickly  powdered, 
the  cheeks  rouged,  and  the  whiteness  of  the  chin  and 
forehead  enhanced  by  many  patches.  The  eyes  were 
intelligent,  but  restless  and  insincere,  the  mouth  too 
small. 

"  'Twill  have  to  be  for  another  time,  Calvert,"  said 
Beaufort,  after  an  instant's  pause,  during  which  Mr. 
Morris  installed  himself  beside  the  lady  with  the  evi- 
dent intention  of  staying.  "  'Tis  plain  that  the  beau- 
tiful Madame  de  Flahaut  has  thrown  her  spell  over 
him,  and  'twill  not  do  to  break  it  just  yet.  But  by 
St.  Denis !  "  he  suddenly  whispered  to  Calvert,  "  here 
comes  d'Azay  with  the  Duchess  and  Madame  de  St. 
Andre,  attended  as  usual  by  St.  Aulaire." 

Calvert  followed  Beaufort's  glance  and  saw  enter- 
ing the  room  his  friend  d'Azay,  at  whose  side,  slowly 
and  proudly,  walked  an  old  woman.  She  bore  her- 
self with  a  nobility  of  carriage  Calvert  had  never  seen 
equalled,  and  her  face,  wrinkled  and  powdered  and 
painted  though  it  was,  was  the  face  of  one  who  had 

81 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

been  beautiful  and  used  to  command.  Her  dark  eyes 
were  still  brilliant  and  glittered  humorously  and 
shrewdly  from  beneath  their  bushy  brows.  The  lean, 
veined  neck,  bedecked  with  diamonds,  was  still  poised 
proudly  on  the  bent  shoulders.  Her  wrecked  beauty 
was  a  perfect  foil  for  the  fresh  loveliness  of  the  young 
girl  who,  with  a  splendidly  attired  cavalier,  followed 
closely  behind  her. 

"  Is  she  not  a  beauty  ?  "  said  Beaufort,  under  his 
breath,  to  Calvert.  With  a  start  the  young  man 
recognized  the  original  of  the  miniature  that  d'Azay 
had  shown  him  that  last  evening  at  Monticello,  so 
many  years  ago.  It  is  to  be  doubted  whether,  in  the 
interim,  Calvert  had  bestowed  a  thought  upon  the 
beautiful  French  girl,  but  as  he  looked  at  the  deep  blue 
eyes  shining  divinely  beneath  the  straight  brows,  at  the 
crimson  mouth,  with  its  determined  but  lovely  curves, 
at  the  cloud  of  dark  hair  about  the  white  brow,  it  sud- 
denly seemed  to  him  as  if  the  picture  had  never  been 
out  of  his  mind.  "  The  Lass  with  the  Delicate  Air  " 
was  before  him,  but  changed.  The  look  of  girlish  im- 
maturity was  gone — replaced  by  an  imperious  decision 
of  manner.  A  haughty,  almost  wayward,  expression 
was  on  the  smiling  face — a  look  of  dawning  world- 
liness  and  caprice.  Twas  as  if  the  thought  which 
had  once  passed  through  Calvert's  mind  had  come  true 
— that  countenance  which  had  been  capable  of  devel- 
oping into  noble  loveliness  or  hardening  into  unpleas- 
ing,  though  striking,  beauty,  had  somehow  chosen  the 
latter  way.  The  spiritual  beauty  seemed  now  in  eclipse 
and  only  the  earthly,  physical  beauty  remained. 

82 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

Calvert  had  opportunity  to  note  these  subtle 
changes  which  time  had  wrought  in  the  original  of 
the  miniature  while  Mr.  Jefferson  bent  low  over  the 
withered,  beringed  hand  of  the  old  Duchess,  and  he 
waited  his  turn  to  be  presented  to  the  ladies.  The 
ceremony  over,  he  and  d'Azay  greeted  each  other  as 
old  friends  and  comrades-in-arms  are  wont  to  do. 
They  had  scarce  time  to  exchange  a  word,  however, 
as  Monsieur  de  Segur,  coming  up  hurriedly,  carried 
d'Azay  and  Beaufort  away  to  where  a  group  of  young 
men  were  waiting  for  the  last  news  of  the  elections. 
Already  politics  were  ousting  every  other  topic  of 
conversation  in  the  salon. 

As  for  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  she  did  not  at  all 
imitate  her  brother's  warmth  of  manner  toward  Cal- 
vert. He  was  conscious  of  an  almost  contemptuous 
iciness  in  her  greeting,  and  that  mentally  she  was 
unfavorably  comparing  him,  the  simply  dressed,  seri- 
ous young  American  before  her,  with  the  splendid 
courtiers  who  crowded  around.  Certain  it  was  that 
she  was  much  more  gracious  in  manner  to  Monsieur 
le  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire,  who  had  accompanied  her 
into  the  salon  and  still  remained  at  her  side.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  Calvert  had  seen  St.  Aulaire,  and, 
remembering  Beaufort's  words  about  him,  a  sudden 
pang  shot  through  his  breast  as  he  saw  the  young 
girl  turn  aside  with  him  to  make  a  tour  of  the  rooms. 
For,  in  truth,  Monsieur  le  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire  was 
the  epitome  of  all  that  was  most  licentious,  most 
unworthy,  most  brilliant  in  the  Old  Order,  and  was 
known  throughout  the  kingdom  by  reputation — or, 

83 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

more  properly  speaking,  by  lack  of  it.  But  in  spite 
of  his  long  life  of  dissipation  and  adventure  (he  had 
campaigned  with  the  Swiss  Guards  at  thirteen,  and, 
though  he  was  much  past  forty,  looked  like  a  man 
of  scarce  thirty),  there  was  still  such  an  unrivalled 
grace  in  all  he  said  and  did,  such  an  heroic  lightness 
and  gallantry  in  all  he  dared — and  he  dared  every- 
thing— that  he  seemed  to  be  eternally  young  and 
incomparably  charming.  It  was  with  a  new-born 
and  deep  disgust  that  Calvert  noted  the  attentions 
of  this  man,  whose  life  he  disdained  to  think  of,  to 
the  beautiful  girl  beside  him.  And  it  seemed  to 
him  that  she  took  a  wayward  pleasure  in  charming 
him,  though  she  kept  him  at  a  distance  by  a  sort 
of  imperious  coquetry  that  was  not  to  be  presumed 
upon. 

Calvert  turned  from  his  almost  melancholy  contem- 
plation of  the  young  girl  to  the  old  Duchesse  d'Azay 
standing  beside  him  and  talking  volubly  to  Mr. 
Jefferson. 

"  And  have  your  friends  newly  arrived  from 
America  brought  you  news  from  our  old  friend,  Dr. 
Franklin,  Monsieur  ?  "  she  asks,  in  her  grand  manner. 
"  Ah,  I  wish  we  might  see  him  again !  I  think  there 
was  never  an  ambassador  so  popular  with  us — snuff- 
boxes with  his  face  upon  them,  miniatures,  fans !  I 
was  present  when  he  was  crowned  with  laurel.  We 
had  thought  it  impossible  to  replace  him,  Monsieur, 
until  you  arrived !  " 

"  Ah,  Madame,  I  did  not  come  to  replace  him,"  cor- 
rected Mr.  Jefferson,  making  his  best  bow,  and  which 

84 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

was  very  courtly  and  deferential,  indeed,  "  not  to  re- 
place him — no  one  can  do  that — only  to  succeed  him." 

"  Bien,  bien,  Monsieur,"  cried  the  Duchess,  tapping 
her  fan  against  her  long,  thin  fingers  and  breaking  out 
into  an  appreciative  little  cackle.  "  Monsieur  under- 
stands our  language "  (they  were  both  speaking 
French )  "  quite  as  well  as  that  paragon  of  wit  and 
erudition,  Dr.  Franklin  himself.  Ah !  what  a  man," 
she  went  on,  musingly ;  "  'twas  he  who  gave  the 
Duchesse  de  Bourbon  a  lesson  in  chess !  She  put  her 
king  in  prise  and  Monsieur  Franklin  promptly  took 
it !  '  But  we  do  not  take  kings  so,'  cried  Her  Grace, 
furiously,  for  you  may  be  sure  she  was  greatly  put 
out.  '  We  do  in  America,'  said  the  Doctor,  calmly." 
And  she  broke  out  laughing  again  in  her  thin,  cracked 
voice  at  the  recollection  of  the  discomfiture  of  her 
archrival,  the  old  Duchesse  de  Bourbon.  "  Truly  that 
America  of  yours  must  be  a  wonderful  place." 

"  Ah,  Madame,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson — and  there  was 
a  note  of  sadness  in  his  voice — "  I  think  there  is  no 
land  like  it,  no  rivers  so  broad  and  deep,  no  woods 
so  green  and  wild,  no  soil  so  fertile,  no  climate  so 
delightful.  I  wish  I  might  show  you  but  one  garden- 
spot  of  it — my  Virginia — to  prove  to  you,  Madame, 
that  I  do  not  exaggerate  when  I  sing  my  country's 
praises.  The  Due  de  la  Rochefoucault-Liancourt 
promises  to  visit  me  at  Monticello  within  the  next  few 
years.  Cannot  I  persuade  you,  Madame,  to  come, 
too?" 

"  Ah,  Monsieur,  'twould  give  me  infinite  pleasure, 
but  I  shall  never  leave  my  France — although  " — and 

85 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

here  she  lowered  her  voice  and  shrugged  her  lean 
shoulders  contemptuously — "  did  I  listen  to  but  one- 
half  of  what  I  hear  prophesied  in  these  revolutionary 
salons,  to  but  one-half  of  what  I  hear  openly  discussed 
at  the  card-tables,  I  might  accept  your  invitation  as 
a  refuge!  But  I  have  no  fear  for  my  King.  I  am 
not  shaking  with  apprehension  at  the  turn  affairs  are 
taking,  like  that  poor-spirited  little  Madame  de  Mont- 
morin,  whose  husband  knows  no  more  about  foreign 
affairs  than  does  my  coachman,  but  I  wish  with  all 
my  heart,  Monsieur,  that  you  had  kept  your  revolu- 
tion chez  vous !  Tis  a  fever,  this  revolution  of  yours, 
and  our  young  men  return  from  the  war  and  spread 
the  contagion.  They  clamor  for  new  rights,  for 
assemblies,  for  States-Generals — 'twas  that  fever- 
stricken  young  Lafayette  himself  who  demanded  that, 
and,  instead  of  being  in  attendance  at  court,  as  a 
young  noble  should  be,  he  is  buried  in  Auvergne, 
trying  to  get  himself  elected  to  his  own  States-Gen- 
eral !  Bah !  what  will  it  all  come  to  ?  "  She  fastened 
her  keen,  bright  eyes  on  Mr.  Jefferson's  face  and  spoke 
with  indomitable  energy  and  haughtiness.  "  The 
noblesse  is  all-powerful.  We  have  everything — why 
should  we  cry  for  something  more?  As  for  the  com- 
mons, they  don't  know  what  is  good  for  them  and 
they  have  all  they  deserve.  At  any  rate  they  will 
not  get  anything  more.  These  contentions,  these 
revolts  of  the  lower  orders " — she  stopped,  for  at 
that  instant  the  young  Vicomte  de  Segur  came  up 
and,  making  a  profound  bow,  offered  his  arm  to  the 
Duchess. 

86 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

"  Madame,"  he  said,  "  the  Duchesse  de  Chastellux 
begs  that  you  will  join  her  at  a  table  of  whist."  He 
paused  a  moment,  and  then,  with  a  languid  shrug  of 
his  shoulders  and  a  whimsical  smile,  "  Your  Grace  was 
speaking  of  the  discontent  of  the  lower  orders?  They 
are  very  unreasonable — these  lower  orders — they  spoil 
one's  Paris  so !  " 

Calvert  was  about  to  follow  the  two  figures  into 
the  crowd,  when  suddenly  he  heard  his  name  called 
softly,  and,  turning,  found  himself  beside  St.  Aulaire 
and  Madame  de  St.  Andre.  She  was  looking  at  him, 
her  eyes  and  lips  smiling  mockingly.  Calvert  met 
her  gaze  calmly  and  fully.  They  stood  thus,  look- 
ing at  each  other,  courteously  on  Calvert's  part,  curi- 
ously, almost  challengingly,  on  the  young  girl's.  It 
was  Madame  de  St.  Andre  who  broke  the  silence. 
When  she  spoke,  her  voice  was  exquisitely  sweet  and 
low,  and  her  eyes  became  kind,  and  the  artificial  smile 
faded  from  her  lips.  Looking  at  her  so,  Calvert  could 
scarce  believe  that  it  was  the  same  arrogant  beauty 
who  had  regarded  him  so  haughtily  but  a  moment  be- 
fore. 'Twas  as  if  she  had  let  fall  from  her  face,  for 
a  moment,  some  lovely  but  hateful  mask,  which  she 
could  resume  instantly  at  will. 

"  Mr.  Calvert,"  she  said,  "  I  hope  my  brother  has 
had  a  chance  to  talk  with  you.  He  is  most  anxious 
to  see  you."  As  she  spoke,  Calvert  thought  he  had 
never  heard  anything  so  beautiful  as  the  sound  of  those 
clear,  French  words,  each  one  as  sweet  and  distinct  as 
the  carillon  of  a  silver  bell. 

"  Alas,  no,  Madame !  We  have  exchanged  but  a 
87 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

dozen  words.  Tis  almost  five  years  since  we  last 
talked  together.  That  was  at  Monticello,  where, 
indeed,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  making  your  acquaint- 
ance— in  miniature !  "  He  bowed  and  smiled  as  he 
noted  her  look  of  surprise.  "  And  where " 

"  And  where,"  interrupted  Beaufort,  who  at  that 
instant  joined  them  and  who  had  overheard  Calvert's 
last  words,  "  d'Azay  promised  to  introduce  Mr.  Calvert 
to  you  as  an  American  savage !  " 

"  Indeed,  my  brother  spoke  to  me  on  the  subject," 
returned  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  laughing  outright  at 
the  recollection  (and  if  each  word  she  spoke  was  like 
the  sound  of  a  silver  bell,  her  laugh  was  like  a  whole 
chime  of  them).  "  I  had  looked  for  something  quite 
different,"  she  went  on,  in  a  mock-disappointed  tone, 
and  with  an  amused  glance  at  Beaufort.  "  Perhaps 
paint  and  feathers  and  a — a — what  is  the  name,  Mon- 
sieur ?  a — tomahawk  to  kill  with !  Ah !  Monsieur  " 
— here  she  sighed  in  a  delightfully  droll  way  and 
swept  Calvert  a  courtesy — "  as  an  American  you  are 
a  great  disappointment !  " 

"  I  am  inexpressibly  grieved  to  be  the  cause  of  any 
disappointment  to  you,  Madame,"  replied  Calvert, 
calmly.  "  But  as  for  paint  and  feathers,  surely  they 
can  be  no  novelties  to  you,"  and  here  he  looked  mean- 
ingly around  at  the  bedaubed,  bedecked  ladies  of 
fashion  (though  'tis  but  fair  to  say  that  the  young 
beauty  before  him  disdained  the  use  of  furbelows 
or  cosmetics,  as  well  she  might  with  such  a  brilliant 
complexion)  ;  "  and  as  for  tomahawks — the  ladies  of 
this  country  need  no  more  deadly  weapons  than  their 

88 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

own  bright  glances.     But  truly,  Madame,  did  you  ex- 
pect to  see  a  young  savage  ?  " 

"  I  was  hoping  to,"  she  said,  demurely.  "  'Twould 
have  been  more  interesting  than — than — "  And  here 
she  stopped  as  if  in  seeming  embarrassment  and  loss 
for  words.  "  Is  not  America  full  of  them  ? "  she 
asked,  innocently. 

"  Assuredly,  Madame,  as  you  must  know,  since  they 
have  so  often  been  your  allies !  " 

As  Calvert  spoke,  all  the  amusement  and  good- 
nature died  out  of  Madame  de  St.  Andre's  face,  and 
she  resumed  her  mask,  becoming  again  the  haughty 
and  distant  young  beauty. 

"  But  'tis  not  an  uncivilized  land  by  any  means," 
went  on  Calvert,  who  was  young  and  ardent  enough 
to  espouse  warmly  the  cause  of  his  country  from  even 
the  badinage  of  a  spoilt  young  girl.  "  There  is  much 
learning  and  the  most  gracious  manners  to  be  found 
there,  as  you  must  also  know,  since  we  have  been  able 
to  spare  two  such  shining  examples  of  both  to  this 
court — Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Jefferson." 

"  Monsieur  does  not  mean  to  compare  the  civiliza- 
tion of  his  own  country  to  that  of  ours  ?  "  contemptu- 
ously demanded  St.  Aulaire,  who,  up  to  that  time,  had 
stood  superciliously  by,  taking  no  part  in  the  conver- 
sation. 

"  Indeed,  no !  "  returned  Calvert,  with  suspicious 
promptness.  "  In  my  mind  there  can  be  no  compari- 
son, and  surely  you  will  acknowledge  that  a  country 
which  has  produced  the  greatest  man  of  the  age  is  not 
one  to  be  despised." 

89 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  And  who  may  that  be  ?  "  asked  Monsieur  de  St. 
Aulaire,  with  lazy  insolence. 

"  I  had  thought,  my  lord,"  returned  Calvert,  bow- 
ing low,  "  that  the  subject  of  so  enlightened  a  state  as 
you  say  France  is  would  surely  have  heard  the  name 
of  General  Washington.  Monsieur  does  not  read 
history  ?  " 

"  Tis  impossible  to  read  yours,  since  you  have 
none,"  returned  St.  Aulaire,  with  a  contemptuous  little 
laugh. 

"  We  are  making  it  every  day,  Monsieur,"  said  Cal- 
vert, calmly. 

"  Ah,  sir !  "  demanded  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  "  are 
all  Americans  so  presumptuous  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Madame — if  'tis  presumptuous  to  admire 
General  Washington." 

"  We  have  heard  of  him  in  effect,"  sneeringly  broke 
in  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire.  "  A  lucky  adventurer 
with  a  pretty  talent  for  fighting  British  cowards,  a 
beggar  who  has  not  been  turned  away  empty  from 
our  doors.  Why,  hasn't  the  whole  country  given  to 
him  ? — from  the  King  down — and  truth  to  tell  we  were 
glad  to  give  as  long  as  he  whipped  the  English." 

"  No,  no,  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,"  suddenly  in- 
terrupted Madame  de  St.  Andre,  turning  upon  him, 
"  do  not  wrong  France,  do  not  wrong  your  King,  do 
not  wrong  Lafayette  and  Rochambeau  and  Dillon 
and  so  many  others!  We  gave  because  France  was 
strong  and  America  weak,  because  it  was  our  great- 
est happiness  to  help  right  her  wrongs,  because  'tis 
ever  France's  way  to  succor  the  oppressed.  As  for 

90 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

General  Washington,  Monsieur  Calvert  does  well  to 
admire  him.  The  King  admires  him — can  Monsieur 
de  St.  Aulaire  do  less?  We  are  devoted  royalists, 
but  we  can  still  respect  and  admire  patriotism  and 
genius  under  whatever  government  they  flourish." 
She  changed  her  tone  of  authority  and  accusation  and 
turned  to  Calvert.  Again  the  mask  had  been  dropped, 
the  eyes  were  once  more  kind,  the  voice  and  smile 
once  more  tender.  "  I  should  like  to  hear  more  of  your 
General  Washington  and  of  America,  Monsieur,"  she 
said,  almost  shyly,  and  Calvert  wondered  at  the  change 
in  her.  "  If  Monsieur  skates,  we  should  be  happy 
to  have  him  join  us  to-morrow  afternoon  on  the  ice 
near  the  Pont  Royal.  Tis  for  three  o'clock."  And 
she  smiled  as  she  turned  away,  followed  by  Monsieur 
de  St.  Aulaire,  apparently  in  no  very  good-humor. 

When  Calvert  again  looked  around  him,  after 
having  watched  Madame  de  St.  Andre  disappear,  he 
noticed  Mr.  Jefferson  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room 
looking  much  disturbed  and  talking  earnestly  with 
Monsieur  Necker,  Monsieur  le  Comte  de  Montmorin, 
and  Mr.  Gouverneur  Morris,  who  had  at  length  left 
the  side  of  the  charming  Madame  de  Flahaut.  Calvert 
approached  the  group,  and,  as  he  drew  near,  he  could 
hear  Necker  speaking  in  an  anxious,  despondent  tone. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  he  was  saying,  "  'tis  not  only 
difficulties  with  the  finances  which  alarm  us!  Obe- 
dience is  not  to  be  found  anywhere.  Even  the  troops 
are  not  to  be  relied  on."  And  he  turned  wearily  away. 

When  Mr.  Jefferson  caught  sight  of  Calvert,  who 
had  stopped,  hesitating  to  join  the  group  lest  he  should 

91 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

intrude  on  some  important  and  private  business,  he 
beckoned  the  young  man  forward. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Calvert,  in  a  low 
tone.  "  You  look  anxious." 

"  I  will  tell  you  later,  my  boy,"  returned  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, smiling  reassuringly.  "  Go  and  talk  to  Madame 
de  Flahaut — Mr.  Morris  has  promised  to  send  you  to 
her." 

Calvert  did  as  he  was  desired,  and  found  Madame 
de  Flahaut  a  very  entertaining  lady,  but  who,  in 
spite  of  her  charms,  he  was  not  sorry  to  see  go,  as 
she  did  presently,  with  Madame  de  Coigny  and  Mon- 
sieur de  Curt.  And  soon  after  she  retired  the  com- 
pany broke  up  and  only  Mr.  Morris  remained  behind 
to  have  a  last  glass  of  wine  and  a  few  moments'  quiet 
chat  with  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Calvert.  It  was  while 
they  were  thus  engaged  in  the  now  deserted  drawing- 
room  that  Mr.  Jefferson  told  Calvert  the  cause  of 
his  perturbed  look,  which  was  none  other  than  a 
conversation  concerning  the  state  of  the  kingdom 
confided  to  himself  and  Mr.  Morris  by  Monsieur 
Necker.  He  explained  at  great  length  to  Calvert  the 
delicacy  and  danger  of  the  Comptroller-General's  po- 
sition and  the  wretched  condition  of  the  country's 
finances  and  army.  To  which  Mr.  Morris  added 
some  of  his  own  observations,  made  with  the  rapidity 
and  justness  so  characteristic  of  him. 

"  Monsieur  Necker  seems  to  me,  indeed,  to  be  in  a 
disagreeable  and  sufficiently  dangerous  position.  His 
business  stands  thus :  if  any  mischiefs  happen  they  will 
be  charged  to  him.  If  he  gets  well  through  the  business 

92 


CALVERT  MEETS  OLD  AND  NEW  FRIENDS 

others  will  claim  the  reputation  of  what  good  is  done 
by  the  States-General.  If  he  is  a  really  great  man, 
I  am  deceived.  If  he  is  not  a  laborious  man,  I  am 
also  deceived.  He  loves  flattery — for  he  flatters.  He 
is  therefore  easily  imposed  upon." 

But  here  Mr.  Jefferson  would  not  allow  Mr.  Morris 
to  proceed  with  his  dicta,  declaring  that  he  did  Mon- 
sieur Necker  a  gross  injustice,  and  defending  him 
warmly,  both  as  a  financier  and  statesman.  Mr.  Mor- 
ris still  clinging  to  his  hastily  formed  opinion,  the  two 
gentlemen  continued  to  argue  the  matter  until,  Mr. 
Morris's  carriage  having  been  announced,  he  took  his 
final  leave  and  stumped  his  way  down  the  broad  stair- 
case, attended  to  the  door  by  Calvert. 

But  deeply  as  Calvert  was  already  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  France,  it  was  not  the  miscarried  business 
of  a  nation  that  troubled  his  sleep  that  night.  For 
the  first  time  in  his  life  the  face  of  a  woman  haunted 
his  dreams,  now  luring  him  on  with  glance  and  voice, 
as  it  seemed  to  him,  now  sending  him  far  from  her 
with  teasing  laughter  and  disdainful  eyes. 


CHAPTER   VII 

AN    AFTERNOON    ON    THE   ICE 

CALVERT'S  second  morning  at  the  Legation  was 
even  busier  than  the  first  had  been,  so  that  there  was 
no  time  for  disquieting  thoughts  or  the  memory  of 
troubled  dreams.  Indeed,  the  young  man  had  very 
good  nerves  and  such  power  of  concentration  and  so 
conscientious  a  regard  for  whatever  he  might  have 
on  hand  to  do  as  always  kept  him  absorbed  in  his 
work.  The  packet  by  which  he  and  Mr.  Morris  had 
arrived  being  ready  to  start  on  the  return  voyage, 
it  was  necessary  to  make  up  the  American  mail,  which 
Calvert  found  to  be  no  light  task.  Mr.  Jefferson's 
large  private  correspondence  always  necessitated  the 
writing  of  a  dozen  or  more  letters  for  every  packet, 
several  copies  of  the  more  important  having  to  be 
made,  owing  to  the  unreliability  of  the  vessels  them- 
selves and  the  danger  of  all  communications  being 
opened  and  possibly  destroyed  by  the  French  agents 
before  they  could  even  be  sent  on  their  way.  Besides 
these  private  letters  there  were  also  many  communi- 
cations concerning  official  business  to  be  written.  The 
most  important  one  was  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Mr.  Jay,  concerning  the  recall  of 
Monsieur  le  Comte  de  Moustier,  whose  conduct  had 
become  most  offensive  to  the  American  Congress,  and 

94 


AN   AFTERNOON   ON   THE   ICE 

the  possible  appointment  of  Colonel  Ternant  to  his 
office.  This  officer  had  won  a  great  European  repu- 
tation as  Generalissimo  of  one  of  the  United  Provinces, 
and  it  was  even  hinted  that,  had  he  been  put  at  the 
head  of  affairs  instead  of  the  pusillanimous  Rhine- 
grave  of  Salm,  the  cause  might  have  been  saved.  All 
this  and  other  details  had  to  be  communicated  to  Mr. 
Jay,  and  so  delicate  was  the  business  that  Calvert  was 
instructed  to  put  the  letter  in  cipher  lest  it  be  opened 
and  the  French  Government  prematurely  informed 
of  the  dissatisfaction  felt  with  its  representative  in 
America. 

It  was  well  on  toward  three  in  the  afternoon  before 
all  the  business  was  disposed  of  and  Calvert  had 
leisure  to  recall  his  engagement.  When  Mr.  Jefferson 
heard  of  it  he  declared  his  intention  of  going,  too,  for 
it  was  ever  one  of  his  greatest  pleasures  to  watch 
young  people  at  their  amusements.  The  carriage 
was  ordered,  and,  after  stopping  in  the  rue  de  Riche- 
lieu for  Mr.  Morris,  Mr.  Jefferson  ordered  the  coach- 
man to  drive  to  the  terrace  of  the  Jardin  des  Tuileries, 
near  the  Pont  Royal,  which  particular  place  the 
fashionable  world  had  chosen  for  a  rendezvous  from 
which  to  watch  the  skating  upon  the  Seine. 

It  was  a  beautiful  and  unusual  sight  that  met  Cal- 
vert's  eyes  for  the  first  time  on  that  brilliant  winter's 
afternoon  as  he  alighted  from  Mr.  Jefferson's  carriage. 
The  river,  which  was  solidly  frozen  over  at  this  point, 
and  which  was  kept  smooth  and  free  of  soft  ice  by 
attendants  from  the  Palais  Royal,  was  thronged.  Offi- 
cers of  the  splendid  Maison  du  Roi  and  the  Royale 

95 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

Cravate,  in  magnificent  uniforms,  glided  about ;  nobles 
in  their  rich  dress,  the  sunlight  catching  their  small 
swords  and  burnishing  them  to  glittering  brightness, 
skated  hither  and  thither ;  now  and  then  in  the  crowd 
was  seen  some  beautiful  woman  on  skates  or  more 
frequently  wrapped  in  furs  and  being  pushed  luxu- 
riously about  in  a  chair-sleigh  by  lackeys  and  attended 
by  a  retinue  of  admirers.  On  the  terrace  of  the  garden 
overlooking  the  river  a  throng  of  the  most  notable 
people  of  the  court  and  society,  drawn  hither  by  the 
novelty  of  the  pastime  and  comfortably  installed  in 
chairs  brought  by  their  servants,  with  chaufferettes 
and  furs  to  keep  them  protected  from  the  intense  cold, 
looked  on  at  the  shifting,  swiftly  moving  pageant 
before  them.  For  the  time  being  the  Parisian  world 
was  mad  about  skating,  both  because  of  its  popular- 
ity as  an  English  sport  and  because  of  the  rarity  with 
which  it  could  be  enjoyed  in  France. 

Joining  the  throng  of  spectators,  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
Mr.  Morris  quickly  found  themselves  surrounded  by 
friends  and  acquaintances,  and  Calvert  left  them  talk- 
ing with  Madame  d'Azay,  Madame  de  Flahaut,  and 
the  Marechal  de  Segur,  while  he  put  on  his  skates. 
The  young  man  was  no  great  proficient  in  the  art  of 
skating  as  he  was  in  that  of  swimming  and  riding 
(indeed,  he  was  a  most  perfect  equestrian,  seeming  to 
have  some  secret  understanding  and  entente  cordiale 
with  every  animal  he  ever  bestrode),  but  with  that 
facile  acquirement  of  any  physical  accomplishment 
which  ever  distinguished  him,  he  was  soon  perfectly 
at  ease  on  the  ice. 

96 


AN   AFTERNOON   ON  THE   ICE 

It  was  while  opposite  the  Place  du  Carrousel  and 
almost  out  of  sight  of  the  crowd  of  onlookers,  that 
Calvert  suddenly  came  upon  Madame  de  St.  Andre. 
She  had  ventured  upon  the  ice  on  skates,  and  was 
talking  to  St.  Aulaire,  who  skated  slowly  beside  her. 
Even  in  the  bright  sunshine  the  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire 
did  not  show  his  age,  and  moved  and  bore  himself 
with  incomparable  grace  on  the  ice.  Indeed,  in  his 
rich  dress  and  splendid  decorations  he  made  a  daz- 
zling appearance,  and  quite  eclipsed  Mr.  Calvert  in 
his  sober  garments  and  unpowdered  hair.  Calvert 
would  have  passed  by  or  retreated  without  intruding 
himself  upon  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  but  before  he 
could  do  either  she  had  caught  sight  of  him,  and  he 
saw,  or  fancied  he  saw,  a  look  of  relief  pass  over  her 
face  and  a  welcome  dawn  in  her  eyes.  Thinking  so, 
he  skated  slowly  toward  her,  wishing  to  be  sure  that 
he  was  wanted,  and,  as  he  did  so,  the  gentleman,  per- 
ceiving his  approach,  ceased  speaking  and  looked  most 
obviously  annoyed  at  the  young  man's  arrival. 

Madame  de  St.  Andre  waved  her  hand  lightly. 
"  Au  revoir,  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire ! "  she  cried. 
"  Here  is  Monsieur  Calvert,  who  will  take  me  back 
over  the  ice,  so  I  shall  not  have  to  trouble  you,"  and 
she  laughed  in  a  relieved,  if  somewhat  agitated, 
fashion  as  St.  Aulaire,  doffing  his  hat  and  scowling 
fiercely  at  Calvert,  skated  rapidly  away.  As  Calvert 
looked  at  the  retreating  figure,  Beaufort's  words  of 
two  days  before  flashed  through  his  mind  again,  and 
it  was  with  a  sort  of  horror  that  he  thought  of  this 
dissolute  nobleman  having  even  spoken  with  Ma- 

97 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

dame  de  St.  Andre.  Was  this  beautiful  girl  born 
under  some  unlucky  star  that  she  should  have  to 
know  and  associate  with  such  creatures?  Calvert 
had  only  met  her  the  night  before,  and  already  he 
had  seen  her  twice  with  a  man  whose  very  presence 
was  contaminating.  'Twas  almost  with  the  fear  of 
finding  some  visible  sign  of  that  debasing  influence 
upon  the  fair  face  beside  him  that  he  turned  and 
looked  at  Madame  de  St.  Andre.  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  anyone  to  have  looked  more  in- 
nocently charming.  The  court  beauty  was  in  eclipse, 
and  in  her  place  was  a  radiant,  gracious  young  girl. 
Perhaps  it  was  the  short,  fur-trimmed  dress  she  wore 
and  the  small  cap  with  its  tuft  of  heron  plumes,  a 
fashion  lately  set  by  the  Princess  de  Lamballe,  which 
gave  her  that  childish  air.  Or,  more  possibly,  it  was 
the  unaccustomed  look  of  embarrassment  upon  her 
face  and  a  half-laughing  petulance  as  of  a  naughty 
child  caught  in  mischief. 

"Good-day,  Monsieur  1'Americain,"  she  said,  gayly, 
smiling  into  the  serious  face  Calvert  turned  toward 
her.  "  Will  you  forgive  me  for  pressing  you  into 
service  in  so  offhand  a  manner? — but  perhaps  you 
were  looking  for  me  ?  " 

"  No,  Madame,"  returned  Calvert,  calmly,  as  they 
skated  slowly  toward  the  Quai  des  Tuileries,  "  but  'tis 
a  pleasure  to  be  of  service  to  you." 

A  cloud  gathered  on  Madame  de  St.  Andre's  brow 
at  this  honest  and  somewhat  uncomplimentary  reply, 
but  suddenly  the  humor  of  the  situation  seemed  to 
strike  her  and  she  burst  out  laughing. 

98 


AN   AFTERNOON   ON  THE   ICE 

"Are  you  always  so  truthful,  Monsieur  Calvert, 
and  do  American  ladies  absolve  you  from  making 
pretty  speeches?  If  so,  I  warn  you  you  must  change 
or  you  will  not  succeed  with  the  ladies  of  Louis's 
court." 

"  Ah,  Madame !  I  am  no  courtier — nor,  indeed, 
do  I  care  to  be,"  said  Calvert,  quietly. 

"  Worse  and  worse !  "  cried  Madame  de  St.  Andre, 
still  laughing.  "  But  even  though  you  disclaim  all 
effort  to  find  me,  or  wish  to  be  agreeable  when  found, 
yet  I  will  still  confess  that  you  arrived  most  oppor- 
tunely. Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  grows  fatiguing," 
she  went  on,  with  a  pettish  shrug  of  her  shoulders. 
"  He  is  as  prodigal  of  compliments  as  you  are  chary 
of  them." 

Calvert  looked  at  the  young  girl  beside  him. 

"  He  dares  to  compliment  you !  A  compliment  from 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  can  be  nothing  less  than  an 
insult,"  he  said,  gravely. 

Madame  de  St.  Andre  lifted  her  eyes  quickly  to 
Calvert's  face  and,  noting  the  ill-concealed  disgust  and 
quiet  scorn  written  there,  blushed  scarlet  and  regarded 
him  haughtily. 

"  Monsieur  le  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire  is  one  of  the 
greatest  gentlemen  in  Europe — and — and  anyone 
whom  he  distinguishes  by  his  attentions  must  feel 
honored." 

"  Monsieur  le  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire  is  one  of  the 
greatest  roues  in  Europe,"  corrected  Calvert,  calmly, 
"  and  anyone  whom  he  distinguishes  by  his  attentions 
ought  to  feel  disgraced." 

99 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Madame  de  St.  Andre  was  speechless  in  sheer 
amazement  and  indignation.  Though  she  had  been 
annoyed,  even  frightened  by  the  nobleman's  ardent 
manner  and  words,  she  was  now  eager  to  defend  him 
from  Calvert's  attack.  She  knew  him  to  be  in  the 
right,  and  the  rising  admiration  for  his  quiet  dignity 
and  courage,  which  she  could  not  repress,  only  added 
to  her  petulance  and  desire  to  be  revenged  on  him. 
It  is  so  with  all  women — they  hate  to  be  put  in  the 
wrong,  even  when  the  doing  so  means  protection  to 
themselves.  And  so  it  was  wellnigh  intolerable  to  the 
spoiled  beauty,  who  had  never  been  used  to  the  lightest 
contradiction,  that  this  calm  young  American  should 
so  openly  show  his  disapproval  of  her. 

"  I  will  pass  by  your  reproof  of  myself,  Monsieur," 
she  said  at  length,  haughtily,  her  eyes  flashing  and  a 
deep  blush  mantling  her  brow,  "  but  I  cannot  consent 
to  listen  in  silence  to  your  condemnation  of  a  personage 
whose  talents  and  rank  should  protect  him  from  your 
sarcasms." 

"  Rank,  Madame ! "  burst  out  Mr.  Calvert  at  these 
words.  "  I  never  knew  before  that  morality  or  immor- 
ality, loyalty  or  treason,  honor  or  dishonor  had  aught 
to  do  with  rank !  In  our  country  'tis  not  so.  A  king's 
word  can  make  of  the  meanest  scoundrel  a  duke,  a 
marquis,  but  an  honest  man  holds  his  rank  by  a  power 
greater  than  any  king's."  He  bent  upon  her  such  a 
compelling  gaze  that  she  was  forced  to  turn  and  look 
at  him.  Before  Calvert's  flashing  eyes  and  manly, 
honest  indignation  her  own  anger  died  out  and  an 
unwilling  admiration  took  its  place.  She  blushed 

100 


AN  AFTERNOON  ON  THE  ICE 

again  deeply  and  bit  her  lips.  This  young  American, 
with  his  noble  face,  his  simplicity  of  manner  and 
democratic  scorn  of  her  rank  and  pretensions,  had  not 
only  accused,  but  silenced  her.  At  any  rate  he  should 
not  see  that  he  had  impressed  her!  She  laughed 
lightly. 

"  What  a  noble  sentiment,  Monsieur !  Did  you  find 
it  in  one  of  Monsieur  Rousseau's  books  ?  " 

"  No,  Madame,  it  was  not  in  the  works  of  the  famous 
Monsieur  Rousseau  that  I  found  the  expression  of  that 
sentiment,"  replied  Calvert,  hesitating  slightly.  "  'Tis 
the  theme  of  a  little  song  by  a  young  man  named 
Robert  Burns,  who  writes  the  sweetest  poetry  in  the 
world,  I  think.  He  is  a  friend  and  protege  of  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  of  the  College  of  Princeton,  who  never 
tires  of  reading  his  verses  to  us.  I  wish  I  could  give 
you  some  idea  of  the  beauty  and  power  of  the  poem," 
and  he  began  to  translate  "  For  a'  that,  and  a'  that " 
into  the  best  French  at  his  command,  smiling  every 
now  and  then  at  the  strange  substitutes  for  Burns's 
Scotch  which  he  was  forced  to  employ  and  at  the 
curious  metamorphosis  of  the  poem  into  French  prose. 
But  he  managed  to  infuse  the  spirit  and  sentiment  of 
the  original  into  his  offhand  translation,  and  Madame 
de  St.  Andre  listened  attentively. 

"  I  would  like  to  hear  more  of  your  poet,"  she  said, 
gently,  when  Calvert  had  finished  speaking.  "  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  heard  Monsieur  Chenier  speak 
of  him  or  the  Abbe  Delille,  either.  The  Abbe  is  often 
good  enough  to  read  poetry  to  us  in  my  aunt's  draw- 
ing-room, but  'tis  usually  his  own,"  and  she  laughed 

IOI 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

mischievously.  "  The  poor  gentleman  makes  a  great 
fuss  about  it,  too.  He  must  have  his  dish  of  tea  at 
his  elbow  and  the  shades  all  drawn,  with  only  the  fire- 
light or  a  single  candle  to  read  by,  and  when  we  are 
all  quaking  with  fear  at  the  darkness  and  solemn 
silence,  he  begins  to  recite,  and  imagines  that  'tis  his 
verses  which  have  so  moved  us ! "  and  she  laughed 
merrily  again.  "  You  shall  come  and  read  to  us  from 
your  young  Scotch  poet  and  snatch  the  Abbe's  laurels 
from  him!  Indeed,  my  aunt  has  already  conceived 
a  great  liking  for  you,  Monsieur,  so  she  told  me  last 
night  on  her  way  from  Madame  Necker's,  and  intends 
to  urge  upon  Mr.  Jefferson  to  bring  you  to  see  her 
immediately."  She  smiled  at  Calvert  so  graciously 
and  with  such  unaffected  good-humor  that  he  looked 
at  her  with  delight  and  wonder  at  the  change  come 
over  her.  Once  more  the  mask  was  down.  All  the 
haughtiness  and  capricious  anger  had  faded  away,  and 
Calvert  thought  he  had  never  beheld  a  creature  so 
charming  and  so  beautiful.  Her  dark  eyes  shone  like 
stars  in  a  wintry  sky,  and,  though  the  air  was  frosty, 
the  roses  bloomed  in  her  cheeks.  As  he  looked  at  her 
there  was  a  troubled  smile  on  his  lips  and  he  felt  a 
sudden  quickening  of  his  pulse.  A  curious  sense  of 
remoteness  from  her  impressed  itself  upon  him.  He 
looked  around  at  the  unfamiliar  scene,  at  the  towering 
palace  walls  on  his  right,  at  the  crowds  of  spectators 
on  the  river's  edge,  at  the  brilliant  throng  of  skaters, 
at  the  great  stone  bridge  spanning  the  frozen  river 
over  which  people  were  forever  passing  to  and  fro, 
some  hurriedly,  some  with  leisure  to  lean  over  the 

102 


AN   AFTERNOON   ON  THE   ICE 

parapet  for  a  moment  to  watch  the  unaccustomed 
revelry  below.  And  as  he  looked,  another  scene,  which 
he  had  so  lately  left,  rose  before  him.  In  fancy  he 
could  see  the  broad  and  shining  Potomac,  on  its  banks 
the  stately  old  colonial  house  with  its  colonnaded 
wings,  something  after  the  fashion  of  General  Wash- 
ington's mansion  at  near-by  Mount  Vernon,  the  green 
lawns  stretching  away  from  the  portico  and  the  fra- 
grant depths  of  the  woods  beyond.  A  voice  recalled 
him  from  his  abstraction.  It  was  that  of  Monsieur 
de  St.  Aulaire,  who,  as  they  neared  the  crowded  ter- 
race of  the  Tuileries  gardens,  emerged  from  a  group 
of  skaters  and,  approaching  Calvert  and  Madame  de 
St.  Andre,  made  a  profound  bow  before  the  latter. 

"  Is  Madame  de  St.  Andre  to  show  favor  to  none 
but  Monsieur  Calvert  ? "  he  asks,  in  a  low  voice  that 
had  an  accent  of  mockery  in  it  as  he  bent  over  the 
young  girl's  hand. 

"  'Tis  no  favor  that  I  show  Monsieur  Calvert,"  she 
replied,  smiling.  "  'Tis  a  privilege  to  skate  with  so 
perfect  a  master  of  the  art." 

"  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  take  a  lesson  from  Mon- 
sieur later  in  the  afternoon,"  returned  St.  Aulaire, 
courteously,  but  with  a  disagreeable  smile  playing 
about  his  mouth.  "  In  the  meantime,  if  Monsieur  will 
but  resign  you  for  a  time — "  He  stopped  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders  slightly.  Calvert  moved  from  his  place 
beside  Madame  de  St.  Andre. 

As  he  made  his  way  toward  the  shore,  intending  to 
remove  his  skates  and  find  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr. 
Morris,  d'Azay  and  Beaufort  came  up  and  urged 

103 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

upon  him  to  join  them.  Both  were  good  skaters,  but 
the  young  American  excelled  them  in  a  certain  light- 
ness and  grace,  and  the  three  friends,  as  they  circled 
about,  trying  a  dozen  difficult  and  showy  manoeuvres 
on  the  ice,  attracted  much  attention.  It  was  after  half 
an  hour  of  the  vigorous  exercise  and  as  Mr.  Calvert 
stopped  for  an  instant  to  take  breath  and  pay  his 
respects  to  Madame  de  Flahaut,  who  had  ventured  upon 
the  ice  in  a  chair-sleigh  surrounded  by  her  admirers, 
that  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  again  presented  himself 
before  him. 

"  I  have  come  for  my  lesson,  Monsieur,"  he  said  to 
Calvert,  bowing  after  his  incomparably  graceful 
fashion,  which  Calvert  (who  had  never  before  wasted 
thought  upon  such  things)  suddenly  found  himself 
envying,  and  with  the  disagreeable  smile  still  upon 
his  lips. 

"  I  am  no  skating-master,  Monsieur,"  returned  the 
young  man,  quietly,  and  with  as  good  grace  as  he  was 
master  of,  "  but  I  shall  be  happy  to  have  a  turn  upon 
the  ice  with  you,"  and  with  that  he  moved  off,  leaving 
St.  Aulaire  to  stay  or  follow  as  he  chose.  He  chose 
to  follow  and  skated  rapidly  after  Calvert  with  no 
very  benevolent  look  on  his  handsome,  dissipated  face. 
Although  he  was  by  far  the  best  skater  among  the 
French  gentlemen  who  thronged  the  ice,  and  al- 
though it  was  little  short  of  a  marvel  that  he  should 
be  so  active  at  his  age,  he  was  scarcely  a  match 
for  the  younger  man  either  in  lightness  or  quickness 
of  movement.  And  although  his  splendid  dress  and 
jewels  so  overshadowed  Mr.  Calvert's  quiet  appearance, 

104 


AN   AFTERNOON   ON  THE  ICE 

he  was  conscious  of  being  excelled  before  the  crowd 
of  spectators  by  the  agility  and  sure  young  strength 
of  the  American.  Piqued  and  disgusted  at  the  thought, 
the  habitual  half-mocking  good-humor  of  his  manner 
gave  way  to  sullen,  repressed  irritation.  Knowing 
his  world  so  well,  he  was  sure  of  the  interest  and  curi- 
osity Calvert's  performance  would  arouse,  and  longed 
to  convert  his  little  triumph  into  a  defeat.  Being 
accustomed  to  doing  everything  he  undertook  a  little 
better,  a  little  more  gracefully,  with  a  little  more  eclat 
than  anyone  else,  he  suddenly  began  to  hate  this  young 
man  who  had  beaten  him  at  his  own  game  and  for 
whom  he  had  felt  an  aversion  from  the  first  moment 
of  seeing  him. 

He  tried  to  bethink  himself  of  some  plan  of  lowering 
his  enemy's  colors.  In  his  younger  days  he  had  been 
a  notable  athlete,  excelling  in  vaulting  and  jumping, 
and  suddenly  an  idea  occurred  to  him  which  he  thought 
would  result  in  mortification  to  Mr.  Calvert  and  success 
to  himself.  So  great  was  the  interest  in  the  skating 
of  the  two  gentlemen  that  the  greater  part  of  the  crowd 
had  retired  beyond  a  little  ledge  of  roughened  ice  and 
snow  which  cut  the  improvised  arena  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts  from  where  they  could  conveniently  see 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  and  Mr.  Calvert  as  they 
skated  about.  This  rift  in  the  smoothness  of  the  ice 
was  some  fifteen  feet  wide  and  extended  far  out  from 
the  shore,  so  that  those  wishing  to  pass  beyond  it  had 
to  skate  out  around  its  end  and  so  get  to  the  other  side. 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  came  up  close  to  it,  and,  as  he 
did  so,  he  suddenly  called  out  to  Calvert : 

105 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Let  us  try  the  other  side,  Monsieur,  and,  as  it  is 
too  far  to  go  around  this,  suppose  we  jump  it,"  and 
he  laughed  as  he  noted  Calvert's  look  of  surprise  at  his 
proposition. 

"  As  you  wish,  Monsieur,"  assented  Calvert,  though 
somewhat  dubiously,  as  he  noted  the  breadth  of  the 
roughened  surface,  and  mentally  calculated  that  to 
miss  the  clear  jump  by  a  hair's-breadth  would  ensure 
a  hard,  perhaps  dangerous,  fall.  'Twas  no  easy  jump 
under  ordinary  circumstances;  weighted  down  by 
skates  the  difficulty  would  be  vastly  increased. 

"  Tis  too  wide  for  a  standing  jump,  Monsieur," 
said  St.  Aulaire,  looking  alternately  at  Calvert  and 
the  rift  of  broken,  jagged  ice,  and  laughing  reck- 
lessly. "  We  will  have  to  run  for  it !  "  And  without 
more  words  the  two  gentlemen  skated  rapidly  back 
for  twenty  yards  and  then  came  forward  with  tre- 
mendous velocity,  pari  passu,  and,  both  jumping  at 
the  same  instant,  landed  on  the  far  side  of  the  ledge, 
scattering  the  applauding  spectators  right  and  left  as 
they  drove  in  among  them,  unable  for  an  instant  to 
stop  the  swiftness  of  their  progress. 

"  Well  done,  Monsieur ! "  called  out  St.  Aulaire, 
as  he  wheeled  beside  Calvert,  who  had  succeeded 
in  checking  his  impetus.  He  was  smiling,  but  there 
was  a  dark  look  in  his  eyes.  "  Well  done,  but  'twas 
too  easy — a  very  school-boy's  trick!  We  must  try 
something  a  little  more  difficult  to  test  our  agility 
upon  the  ice — unless,  indeed,  Monsieur  has  had 
enough  ?  "  and  he  looked  at  Calvert  insultingly  full  in 
the  face.  "  The  eyes  of  the  world  are  upon  us — "  and 

106 


AN  AFTERNOON   ON  THE   ICE 

he  waved  his  hand  mockingly  toward  the  throng  of 
spectators  on  the  terrace  where  the  ladies  were  applaud- 
ing with  gloved  hands  and  the  men  tapping  the  frozen 
ground  with  canes  and  swords.  From  where  he  stood 
Calvert  could  see  Mr.  Jefferson  looking  at  him  and 
Mr.  Morris  sitting  beside  Madame  de  Flahaut  and 
Madame  de  St.  Andre,  who  had  left  the  ice  and  joined 
the  onlookers. 

"  It  has  never  been  my  custom  or  my  desire,  Mon- 
sieur, to  furnish  amusement  for  the  crowd,"  said 
Calvert,  returning  St.  Aulaire's  insolent  look,  "  but 
I  should  be  very  sorry  to  stand  in  the  way  of  your  do- 
ing so  by  declining  to  act  as  a  foil  to  your  prowess. 
If  there  is  anything  else  I  can  do  for  you — ?  "  and  he 
bowed  and  smiled  tranquilly  at  Monsieur  de  St.  Au- 
laire,  who  blushed  darkly  with  vexation  at  the  way  in 
which  the  young  man  had  turned  his  attack. 

"  Monsieur  is  too  modest,"  he  said,  suavely,  con- 
trolling himself,  and  then,  calling  one  of  the  attend- 
ants who  was  busy  near-by  sweeping  the  snow  cut 
by  the  skates  from  the  ice,  he  instructed  the  fellow  to 
bring  one  of  the  chairs  which  had  been  taken  from 
the  palace  to  the  terrace  for  the  convenience  of  those 
who  had  not  had  their  servants  bring  them.  In  a  few 
moments  the  man  returned  with  a  large  chair  whose 
deep  seat  and  long  arms  just  suited  the  purposes  of 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire.  Under  his  direction  the 
man  placed  it  sidewise  upon  the  stratum  of  broken, 
irregular  ice  and  snow,  the  crowd  looking  on  with 
curiosity  at  the  unusual  proceedings. 

"  By  the  example  and  with  the  approbation  of 
107 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Monsieur  le  Due  d'Orleans,  Monsieur,"  said  St.  Au- 
laire,  turning  gravely  to  Calvert,  "  we  do  all  things 
a  1'Anglaise — for  the  moment.  You,  who,  after  all, 
are  English,  will  doubtless  recognize  many  of  your 
customs,  manners,  and  sports  among  us — always 
supposing  Paris  is  fortunate  enough  to  keep  you," 
and  here  he  smiled  deprecatingly  and  shook  his  head 
as  if  afraid  such  good  fortune  could  not  be  true.  "  I 
have  just  conceived  the  idea  of  having  a  steeple-chase 
on  the  ice.  Tis  but  a  poor  little  hurdle,"  and  he 
shrugged  his  shoulders  disdainfully,  "  but  'twill  have 
to  do.  We  will  take  fifty  yards  start,  Monsieur,  and 
clear  the  fauteuil,  rough  ice  and  all ! " 

He  broke  out  again  in  his  mocking  laugh,  and, 
sculling  rapidly  backward,  soon  put  the  distance 
between  him  and  the  improvised  barrier.  Calvert 
turned  and  followed,  not  without  some  inward  disgust 
at  the  trap  laid  for  him,  although  outwardly  he  wore 
the  quiet  air  habitual  to  him,  and,  in  spite  of  his  disgust, 
he  could  not  help  but  admire  the  reckless  courage  and 
activity  which  would  dare  such  a  thing,  for  'twas 
evident  now  that  the  jump  had  not  only  to  be  danger- 
ously long  but  high  also,  and  any  failure  to  clear  the 
chair  and  broken  ice  would  inevitably  result  in  a 
ludicrous,  probably  serious  mishap. 

"  'Tis  evident  that  we  cannot  both  jump  at  the  same 
time,"  says  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  courteously. 
"  Shall  we  try  for  the  honor  ?  "  and  he  drew  a  coin 
from  his  pocket  and  lightly  tossed  it  upward.  'Twas 
the  fashion  in  Paris  to  decide  everything  by  the  fall 
of  a  coin.  "  C'est  a  vous,  Monsieur,"  he  says,  looking 

108 


AN  AFTERNOON  ON  THE  ICE 

at  the  gold  piece  as  it  lay  face  upward  in  his  palm, 
and  he  laughed  lightly  again  as  if  not  displeased  with 
his  luck.  As  for  Calvert,  he  was  no  less  pleased,  for 
he  suddenly  felt  impatient  and  eager  for  the  trial.  He 
gave  a  glance  at  the  fastenings  of  his  skates  and  then, 
sweeping  around  to  the  starting-place,  he  skated 
slowly  at  first  but  with  ever-increasing  speed.  As  he 
reached  the  gilt  chair  he  paused  for  the  infinitesimal 
part  of  a  second  as  a  horse  does  at  a  hurdle,  and 
then,  with  one  clean  spring,  was  over  safely.  As  he 
slid  along  the  smooth  ice,  unable  to  check  his  im- 
petus, he  could  hear  the  applause  of  the  spectators  on 
the  shore  and  the  exclamations  and  laughter  of  the 
ladies.  Suddenly  he  bethought  him  of  St.  Aulaire. 
He  turned  quickly  and  was  just  in  time  to  see  St. 
Aulaire  start  off.  There  was  a  gallant  recklessness 
in  his  bearing,  but  Calvert  noted  that  his  move- 
ments seemed  heavy,  though  his  pace  accelerated 
greatly  as  he  neared  the  improvised  hurdle.  Indeed, 
he  was  coming  too  fast,  and,  as  he  reached  the  unlucky 
fauteuil,  he  was  going  with  such  speed  that  he  could 
neither  calculate  the  length  of  the  jump  nor  raise 
himself  sufficiently  for  it,  and  it  was  with  a  little  cry 
of  horror  that  Calvert  and  the  onlookers  saw  the 
Baron  essay  it  and  fall  short,  catching  his  skates  in 
the  arm  of  the  chair  and  crashing  down  heavily  upon 
the  ice.  In  an  instant  Calvert  had  reached  him. 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  was  lying  quite  still  and  un- 
conscious, with  a  thin  stream  of  blood  trickling  from 
a  scalp  wound  on  the  temple,  which  had  struck  a 
splinter  of  ice.  In  a  few  minutes,  after  much  chaf- 

109 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

ing  of  his  hands  and  head,  he  opened  his  eyes,  and 
Calvert  and  the  crowd  who  had  quickly  surrounded 
the  two  were  relieved  to  see  that  the  injury  had  not 
been  serious.  A  dozen  fine  handkerchiefs  were  torn 
up,  and  Calvert  bound  the  wounded  temple  and  helped 
him,  still  half-stunned,  to  rise.  The  fresh  air  revived 
him  somewhat,  and,  Madame  de  Segur's  coachman 
running  up  at  this  moment  to  tell  him  that  his  mis- 
tress's carriage  was  at  his  disposal,  he  was  helped  to 
it,  and,  amid  the  sympathetic  murmurs  of  the  crowd, 
was  sent  off  to  his  apartments  in  the  Palais  Royal. 

"  A  thousand  pardons  for  causing  you  so  much 
trouble,  Monsieur,"  he  said,  turning  to  Calvert,  with 
one  foot  on  the  step  of  the  carriage.  "  I  shall  not 
forget  this  afternoon,"  and  he  bowed  with  his  accus- 
tomed grace,  looking  incomparably  handsome  in  spite 
of  his  pallor  and  weakness  and  the  bandage  about  his 
forehead,  and  Calvert  could  not  help  but  admire  the 
courtly  ease  of  his  manner,  though  he  saw,  too,  the 
evil  smile  on  his  lips  and  the  ugly  look  in  his  eye. 
As  he  turned  away  he  caught  sight  of  Madame  de 
St.  Andre,  who  stood  looking  after  the  carriage  with 
an  expression  of  anxiety  on  her  face,  which  Calvert 
noticed  had  lost  its  rosy  color  and  was  now  quite 
pale.  He  would  have  gone  to  her  to  reassure  her 
concerning  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire's  safety,  but 
when  he  went  toward  her  she  pretended  not  to  see 
him,  and  quickly  joined  Madame  d'Azay  and  the 
Marechal  de  Segur. 

The  company  broke  up  soon  after  the  accident  to 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Mr. 

no 


AN   AFTERNOON   ON  THE   ICE 

Jefferson,  Mr.  Morris,  and  Calvert  were  in  their  car- 
riage on  the  way  to  the  Legation,  where  Mr.  Morris 
was  engaged  to  dine  that  evening. 

"  I  thought  you  had  told  me  that  Mr.  Calvert  was 
quite  indifferent  to  the  fair  sex,"  says  Mr.  Morris, 
laughing,  and  speaking  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  but  with  a 
side  glance  at  the  young  man.  "If  so,  he  takes  a 
strange  way  of  proving  it.  He  will  be  the  most- 
talked-of,  and  therefore  the  most  envied,  man  in  Paris 
to-morrow,"  and  he  began  to  laugh  again. 

"  Was  jumping  in  the  curriculum  at  the  College  of 
Princeton  ?  "  asks  Mr.  Jefferson,  laughing,  too. 

"  But  beware  of  St.  Aulaire,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
suddenly  becoming  grave  and  laying  a  kindly  hand 
on  Calvert's  shoulder.  "  I  misjudge  him  if  he  will 
take  even  a  fair  defeat  at  sport  in  the  right  spirit. 
Look  out  for  him,  Ned — he  will  not  play  fair  and  he 
will  not  forget  a  grudge,  or  I  am  greatly  deceived  in 
him." 

But  it  was  not  of  Monsieur  le  Baron's  possible 
revenge  or  even  of  his  cracked  head  that  Mr.  Calvert 
thought,  but  of  his  unrivalled  gallantry  of  bearing  and 
his  splendid  appearance.  And  that  night  when  he 
retired  to  his  own  room  he  practised  St.  Aulaire's 
graceful  bow  before  the  long  cheval  glass,  though 
with  most  indifferent  success,  it  must  be  confessed. 

'  'Tis  no  use,"  he  said  at  length  to  the  sober  reflec- 
tion in  the  glass,  and  he  threw  himself  into  a  chair 
and  burst  out  laughing  at  his  own  folly.  "  I  am  only 
a  simple  American  gentleman,  and  Monsieur  de  St. 
Aulaire's  manners  are  too  elaborate  for  such.  Per- 

III 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

haps  'tis  his  splendid  dress  and  decorations  which 
give  such  eclat  to  his  every  movement.  At  any  rate 
I  see  that  I  shall  have  to  content  myself  with  my  own 
quiet  fashions.  And  why,  indeed,  am  I  suddenly 
dissatisfied  with  them  ? — why  wish  to  change  them  ?  " 
But  though  he  sat  for  some  time  staring  into  the  fire 
he  did  not  attempt  to  answer  his  own  queries,  and, 
after  a  little,  he  blew  out  the  candles  and  resolutely 
addressed  himself  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   AMERICANS    ARE    MADE    WELCOME    IN    PARIS 

As  Mr.  Morris  had  predicted,  Calvert's  skill  in 
skating  and  the  accident  to  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire 
became  the  topic  of  conversation  in  all  salons.  Ac- 
counts of  the  young  American's  success  on  the  ice 
came  like  a  breath  of  fresh  air  into  the  stagnant  gossip 
of  the  drawing-rooms,  and  were  repeated  until  the 
affair  had  become  a  notable  exploit,  and  Mr.  Calvert 
could  have  posed  as  a  conquering  hero  had  he  cared 
to  profit  by  his  small  adventure.  But  the  young  gentle- 
man was  not  only  entirely  indifferent  to  such  success, 
but  scarcely  cognizant  of  it,  for  he  was  greatly  occu- 
pied, and  threw  himself  so  heartily  into  his  work  that 
Mr.  Jefferson  could  never  sufficiently  congratulate 
himself  on  having  with  him  so  efficient  and  willing  a 
secretary.  There  was  an  enormous  amount  of  busi- 
ness to  be  attended  to  at  the  Legation,  and  not  even 
a  copying  clerk  or  an  accountant  to  aid  in  dispatch- 
ing it.  Indeed,  the  labor  put  upon  our  foreign  rep- 
resentatives was  wellnigh  inconceivable,  and  could 
those  who  cavilled  at  Dr.  Franklin's  lax  business 
methods  but  have  imagined  the  tenth  of  what  he  had 
to  attend  to,  they  would  have  been  heartily  ashamed 
of  their  complaints.  Many  of  the  enterprises  which 
the  good  Doctor  had  begun  and  left  at  loose  ends,  Mr. 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Jefferson  found  himself  obliged  to  go  on  with  and 
finish  as  satisfactorily  as  was  possible.  Besides  which 
there  were  constant  communications  on  an  infinity  of 
subjects  to  be  made  to  our  representatives  in  London 
and  in  Madrid  and  to  our  charges  d'affaires  at  Brus- 
sels and  The  Hague;  money  loans  negotiated,  bonds 
executed,  important  creditors  at  Paris  appeased,  and 
numberless  schemes  for  financial  aid  to  be  devised 
and  floated.  In  all  of  these  affairs  Mr.  Calvert  had 
his  share,  so  that  the  young  gentleman  had  but  small 
leisure  for  that  social  intercourse  into  which  Mr.  Morris 
entered  with  such  zest  and  perfect  success. 

Introduced  by  Mr.  Jefferson  and  the  letters  he  had 
brought  with  him,  in  an  incredibly  short  time  Mr. 
Morris  was  known  and  admired  in  every  salon  in 
Paris,  and  he  stumped  his  way  through  them  with  that 
admirable  savoir  faire  and  sturdy  self-respect,  dashed 
with  a  wholesome  conceit,  which  made  him  assure  Cal- 
vert one  day  that  he  "  had  never  felt  embarrassment 
or  a  sense  of  inferiority  in  any  company  in  which  he 
had  ever  found  himself."  It  was  soon  evident  that  of 
all  the  salons  of  Paris  where  he  was  made  welcome, 
the  one  most  to  his  taste  was  that  of  the  charming 
Madame  de  Flahaut;  but  wherever  he  went  in  that 
aristocratic  society  which  claimed  social  pre-eminence 
over  all  others,  this  untitled  gentleman  from  a  new, 
almost  unknown,  country,  was  easily  and  quickly  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  members.  Utterly  unawed  by 
the  splendid  company  in  which  he  found  himself, 
he  valued  it  at  its  true  worth  and  was  keenly  and 
amusingly  observant  of  its  pretensions,  its  shams,  its 

114 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

flippancy,  its  instability,  its  charm.  Soon  he  had 
become  as  great  a  favorite  as  Mr.  Jefferson  himself, 
though  winning  his  enviable  position  by  qualities  the 
very  opposite  of  that  gentleman's.  Mr.  Morris  ri- 
valled the  Parisians  themselves  in  caustic  wit,  perfect 
manners,  and  the  thousand  and  one  social  graces  of 
the  time,  while  Mr.  Jefferson  captivated  all  by  his 
democratic  manners  and  entire  indifference  to  social 
conventionality,  much  as  the  incomparable  Dr.  Frank- 
lin (whose  originality  and  address  in  society  were 
indeed  sui  generis  and  quite  unrivalled)  had  before 
him. 

But  Mr.  Morris  was  possessed  of  greater  qualities 
than  those  necessary  to  make  him  shine  in  the  vapid, 
corrupt  society  of  the  fashionable  world.  He  was 
a  brilliant,  yet  sound,  thinker,  and  his  earnest  convic- 
tions, his  practical  statesmanship,  and  his  shrewd 
business  abilities  were  quickly  appreciated.  Indeed, 
it  was  difficult  to  tell  whether  ladies  of  fashion  or 
troubled  statesmen  found  him  most  satisfactory.  He 
could  rhyme  a  delicate  compliment  for  the  one  or  draw 
up  a  plan  to  aid  France's  crippled  revenues  for  the 
other,  with  equal  dexterity.  His  opinion  was  sought 
upon  the  weightiest  matters,  and,  being  unfettered  by 
official  obligations,  as  was  Mr.  Jefferson,  he  was  free 
to  give  it,  and  soon  became  associated  with  some  of  the 
greatest  gentlemen  in  the  kingdom  and  intimately 
identified  with  many  schemes  for  the  strengthening  of 
the  monarchy.  For  Mr.  Morris,  while  a  most  ardent 
republican  in  his  own  country,  was  a  royalist  in  France, 
convinced  that  a  people,  used  from  time  immemorial 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

to  an  almost  despotic  government,  extremely  licen- 
tious, and  by  nature  volatile,  were  utterly  unfitted  for 
a  republic.  In  many  of  the  drawing-rooms  where 
indiscriminate  and  dangerous  republicanism  was  so 
freely  advocated,  he  was  held  to  be  trop  aristocrate. 
With  amazing  good-humor  and  keenness  he  attacked 
the  closet  philosophers  and  knocked  over  their  feeble 
arguments  like  tenpins,  urgently  proclaiming  that  it 
was  the  duty  and  best  policy  for  every  son  of  France 
to  hold  up  the  king's  hands  and  strengthen  his  au- 
thority. It  was  almost  amusing  to  note  the  conster- 
nation his  views  caused  among  those  who,  knowing 
him  to  be  a  republican  of  republicans,  a  citizen  of  that 
country  which  had  so  lately  and  so  gloriously  won  its 
civil  liberty,  had  expected  far  different  things  from 
him.  Indeed,  he  ran  foul  of  many  of  the  noblesse, 
with  whom  'twas  the  fashion  to  be  republicans  of  the 
first  feather,  and  of  none  more  completely  than  Mon- 
sieur le  Marquis  de  Lafayette. 

Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  who  had  got  himself  elected 
from  the  noblesse  in  Auvergne,  had  come  back  to 
town  in  March  and  was  a  frequent  caller  at  the  Lega- 
tion, having  there  a  warm  friend  and  ally  in  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son. He  was  unaffectedly  glad  to  see  Calvert  after 
such  a  lapse  of  time  and  to  meet  again  Mr.  Morris, 
whom  he  had  also  known  in  America.  His  admiration 
and  respect  for  Mr.  Morris's  qualities  were  very  great, 
and  it  was  therefore  with  no  little  mortification  and 
uneasiness  that  he  noted  that  gentleman's  disappro- 
bation of  the  trend  of  public  affairs  and  his  own  course 
of  action.  Indeed,  Mr.  Morris  was  seriously  alarmed 

116 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

lest  the  glory  which  the  young  Marquis  had  won 
in  America  should  be  dimmed  by  his  career  in  his 
own  country.  Believing  in  his  high-mindedness  and 
patriotism,  he  yet  questioned  his  political  astuteness 
and  his  ability  to  guide  the  forces  which  he  had  so 
powerfully  helped  to  set  in  motion  by  his  call  for  the 
States-General.  Fully  alive  to  his  great  qualities,  he 
yet  deplored  a  certain  indecision  of  character  and 
an  evident  thirst  for  fame. 

Something  of  all  this  Mr.  Morris  expressed  to  Mr. 
Jefferson  and  Mr.  Calvert  one  evening  when  the  Mar- 
quis had  retired  after  an  hour's  animated  conversation 
on  the  all-engrossing  subject  of  politics,  during 
which  he  had  given  the  three  gentlemen  an  account 
of  his  campaign  in  Auvergne.  But  Mr.  Jefferson, 
being  in  entire  sympathy  with  Lafayette's  ideas, 
could  not  agree  at  all  with  Mr.  Morris's  estimate  of 
him  and  would  listen  to  no  strictures  on  him,  except, 
indeed,  the  imputation  of  ambition,  which  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son acknowledged  amounted  to  "  a  canine  thirst  for 
fame,"  as  he  himself  wrote  General  Washington. 
Though  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Morris  differed  so 
widely  respecting  the  Marquis's  genius,  Mr.  Morris 
still  clung  to  his  opinion,  so  that  Madame  de  Lafayette, 
with  wifely  jealousy  and  feminine  intuition,  perceiving 
something  of  his  mental  attitude  toward  her  husband, 
received  him  but  coldly  when  he  called  with  Calvert 
to  pay  his  respects  at  the  hotel  on  the  Quai  du  Louvre. 
So  marked  was  the  disapproval  of  her  manner,  that 
Mr.  Morris,  being  both  amused  and  annoyed,  could 
not  forbear  recounting  his  reception  to  Mr.  Jefferson, 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

who  enjoyed  a  good  laugh  at  his  expense  and,  as  it 
seemed  to  Calvert,  took  a  certain  satisfaction  in  his 
rebuff. 

"  She  gave  me  the  tips  of  her  fingers  to  kiss,"  said 
Mr.  Morris,  laughing,  "  gazing  over  my  head  the  while 
and  smiling  at  this  young  gentleman,  on  whom  she 
lavished  every  attention,  though  she  had  never  a  word 
for  me ! "  and  he  sighed  in  mock  distress  and  looked 
affectionately  at  Mr.  Calvert.  He  had  become  very 
fond  of  the  young  gentleman  in  the  few  weeks  they 
had  been  together  in  Paris,  and  was  always  anxious 
to  introduce  him  to  his  acquaintances,  of  whom  he 
already  had  an  astonishing  number.  Mr.  Jefferson, 
being  busily  occupied  with  public  matters,  insisted  on 
Mr.  Calvert's  accepting  Mr.  Morris's  good  offices  and, 
with  his  invariable  kindness  and  thoughtfulness,  made 
it  appear,  indeed,  that  the  young  gentleman  was  aiding 
him  by  thus  assuming  some  of  his  social  duties.  He 
was  secretly  much  gratified  and  pleased  by  the  accounts 
which  Mr.  Morris  gave  of  his  successes. 

"  Why,  'tis  almost  indecent  the  way  the  women 
spoil  him,"  that  gentleman  declared,  laughingly,  to 
Mr.  Jefferson  as  they  sat  alone  over  their  wine  one 
evening  after  dinner  at  the  Legation,  Calvert  hav- 
ing retired  to  finish  the  copying  of  some  important 
letters  to  be  despatched  to  Mr.  Short,  who  was  at 
Amsterdam.  "  Elles  s'en  raffolent,  but  Ned,  incred- 
ible as  it  may  seem,  is  far  from  being  grateful  for 
such  a  doubtful  blessing!  His  stoical  indifference 
and  unvarying  courtesy  to  the  fair  sex  are  genuine 
and  sublime  and  pique  the  women  incredibly.  Indeed, 

118 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

'tis  almost  more  than  I  can  stand  without  laughing," 
went  on  Mr.  Morris,  "  to  see  the  manly  forbearance 
with  which  he  treats  the  advances  of  some  of  these 
grandes  dames,  who  think  nothing  of  taking  the  initia- 
tive in  a  love-affair.  'Tis  as  rare  as  it  is  admirable 
here  in  Paris !  Upon  my  word  I  thought  he  would 
have  taken  to  his  heels  yesterday  when  we  called  on 
Madame  de  Flahaut,  who,  being  at  her  toilet,  invited 
us  to  her  dressing-room !  He  left  me  to  stump  up- 
stairs alone  and  receive  a  good  rating  from  the 
Countess  for  not  having  kept  him.  He  makes  me 
feel  very  old  and  sinful,"  went  on  Mr.  Morris,  after 
a  pause,  and  smiling  ruefully  at  Mr.  Jefferson  on  the 
other  side  of  the  table,  "  and  I  ought  to  dislike  the 
boy  heartily  for  it.  But,  in  faith,  I  can't,  and  am  be- 
ginning to  be  as  fond  of  him  as  you  yourself  are." 

"  And,  after  all,  he  ought  not  to  make  us  feel  old," 
rejoined  Mr.  Jefferson,  smiling,  too.  "  For  in  spite 
of  his  youth  there  is  nothing  of  immaturity  in  his 
character.  'Tis  as  firm  and  well-rounded  as  though 
he  were  fifty." 

"  I  think  he  calls  for  a  toast,"  says  Mr.  Morris, 
laughing,  and  filling  up  the  glasses :  "  To  an  Old 
Head  on  Young  Shoulders !  " 

In  the  early  part  of  March,  Mr.  Short  being  still 
on  his  travels,  and  vexatious  questions  having  arisen 
in  connection  with  the  Dutch  loans,  Mr.  Jefferson 
determined  to  intrust  their  settlement  to  Calvert,  and, 
accordingly,  the  young  man  set  out  for  Amsterdam 
with  scarce  a  day's  notice  of  his  journey.  His  embassy 

119 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

concerned  the  refusal  of  our  bankers  in  Amsterdam 
(into  whose  hands  Congress  had  placed  all  monies) 
to  pay  bills  for  the  redemption  of  our  captives,  and  the 
medals  which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  contracted  should  be 
struck  off  for  the  foreign  officers  who  had  engaged 
in  the  revolution.  This  refusal  placed  the  American 
Minister  in  a  most  embarrassing  position.  To  his 
demands  the  Holland  bankers  replied  that  Congress 
had  appropriated  the  money  in  their  charge  solely 
to  the  payment  of  the  interest  on  the  Dutch  loan 
through  the  year  1790.  As  a  failure  to  pay  the  in- 
terest on  the  loan  would  have  been  fatal  to  the  credit 
and  standing  of  the  infant  republic  in  the  eyes  of  Eu- 
rope, it  was  evident  to  Mr.  Jefferson  that  a  new  loan 
would  have  to  be  set  going  to  defray  the  new  debts. 
This  delicate  and  difficult  project  (for  our  credit  was 
none  of  the  best  and  the  old  loan  had  not  all  been 
taken  up)  he  intrusted  to  Calvert,  and  so  quickly  and 
satisfactorily  did  the  young  man  execute  his  commis- 
sion that  he  was  back  again  in  Paris  by  the  end  of  the 
month  with  reports  highly  gratifying  to  the  American 
Minister. 

"  You  have  a  better  head  for  finances  than  even 
Mr.  Hamilton,  whose  opinions  are  so  much  quoted  in 
Congress,"  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  with  a  smile.  "  I  think 
no  one  could  have  conducted  these  affairs  to  a  better 
issue.  It  has  always  been  my  opinion  that  your 
peculiar  talents  lay  in  the  direction  of  finances,  and 
now  I  am  persuaded  of  it." 

So  delighted  was  Mr.  Jefferson  with  Calvert's  per- 
formance that  he  recounted  the  successful  embassy 

1 20 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

to  Mr.  Morris,  whose  good  opinion  of  Calvert  was 
greatly  increased,  and,  having  always  had  a  liking 
for  the  young  man,  he  took  occasion  to  see  more  than 
ever  of  him.  He  insisted  on  Calvert's  accompanying 
him  frequently  into  the  great  world  of  Paris  where  he 
himself  was  so  welcome,  and  where,  indeed,  the  young 
man's  presence  was  also  demanded  on  all  sides — even 
by  royalty  itself  in  the  person  of  Madame  la  Duchesse 
d'Orleans,  whose  acquaintance  Mr.  Morris  had  made 
in  the  apartments  of  Madame  de  Chastellux  in  the 
Palais  Royal.  Although  accustomed  to  the  company 
of  the  highest  nobility,  Mr.  Morris  was  somewhat  un- 
certain whether  he  would  get  along  well  with  royalty, 
and  would  not  have  pursued  the  acquaintance  begun 
by  chance  in  Madame  de  Chastellux's  salon  had  not 
the  Duchess  expressed  her  pleasure  in  his  society 
in  most  unequivocal  terms.  Satiated  with  flattery, 
bored  by  the  narrow  circle  in  which  she  was  forced 
to  move,  profoundly  humiliated  by  the  neglect  and 
viciousness  of  her  husband,  she  was  charmed  by  the 
wit,  independence,  and  true  courtesy  of  the  brilliant 
American.  A  daughter  of  the  old  Due  de  Penthievre, 
the  embodiment  of  everything  good  in  the  ancien  re- 
gime, the  Duchess  of  Orleans  was,  herself,  a  woman 
of  rare  good  sense,  beauty,  and  tact,  all  of  which  ap- 
pealed strongly  to  Mr.  Morris,  so  that  the  acquaintance 
begun  so  graciously  on  her  part  and  so  dubiously  on 
his,  soon  ripened  into  real  friendship. 

"  I  never  see  her  but  I  feel  a  throb  of  pity  for  her," 
declared  Mr.  Morris  to  Calvert.  "  'Twas  a  malig- 
nant fate  that  made  her  the  wife  of  so  dissolute  a 

121 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

prince.  She  is  very  handsome — handsome  enough  to 
punish  the  duke  for  his  irregularities,  and  she  has, 
I  think,  the  most  beautiful  arm  in  all  Europe — of  which 
she  is  properly  vain !  But  what  is  a  little  vanity  among 
so  many  virtues? — for  she  is  eminently  virtuous, 
though  not  averse,  I  think,  to  seeking  some  consola- 
tion for  her  profound  melancholy,  for — as  she  has 
confided  to  me — she  feels  '  le  besoin  d'etre  aime,'  " 
and  he  smiled  a  little  cynically,  as  men  of  the  world 
are  wont  to  smile  at  the  confession  of  feminine  weak- 
nesses. As  for  Mr.  Calvert,  that  confession  brought 
no  smile  to  his  lips,  and,  though  he  said  nothing,  he 
felt  a  sudden  rush  of  pity  for  the  unhappy  lady, 
neglected  and  unloved  despite  her  great  position. 
After  all,  duchesses  are  but  women  and  must  love  and 
suffer  and  be  content  or  miserable  like  common  mor- 
tals, and  men  should  be  the  last  to  blame  them  for  that 
divine  necessity  of  their  beings — that  of  loving  and 
being  loved. 

"  She  has  heard  much  of  you,  Ned,"  went  on  Mr. 
Morris,  "  from  Madame  de  Chastellux,  from  Lafayette, 
and  lately  from  myself,  and  has  expressed  her  desire 
to  see  you.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  such  a  wish  is 
a  command  and  so  you  must  even  go  and  pay  your 
respects  to  royalty,  my  boy,"  and  he  laughed  as  he 
clapped  the  young  man  on  the  shoulder. 

That  very  evening  Mr.  Morris  carried  him  off  to 
the  Palais  Royal  to  the  apartments  of  Madame  de 
Chastellux,  where  he  despatched  a  message  to  the 
Duchess  to  the  effect  that  "  Monsieur  Morris,  ac- 
compagne  par  Monsieur  Calvert,  visitent  Madame  la 

122 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

Duchesse  d'Orleans  chez  Madame  de  Chastellux." 
After  a  few  moments  of  waiting  one  of  the  Duchess's 
men  came  with  the  request  that  Madame  de  Chastellux 
should  bring  the  two  gentlemen  to  her  apartments. 

They  found  Her  Royal  Highness  there  surrounded 
by  a  small  company.  At  her  side  was  the  Vicomte 
de  Segur,  who  was  essaying  by  the  witty  sallies  and 
delightful  drolleries  for  which  he  was  so  famous  to 
bring  a  smile  to  her  lips ;  but,  although  the  rest  of  the 
company  was  convulsed  by  his  brilliant  nonsense,  the 
Duchess's  pale  face  did  not  lose  its  serious  expression 
until  Mr.  Morris,  followed  by  Calvert,  entered  the 
room.  Then,  indeed,  a  smile  of  pleasure  lighted  up 
her  countenance,  and  it  was  with  a  most  gracious  cor- 
diality that  she  welcomed  both  gentlemen. 

"  So  this  is  your  young  compatriote,  Monsieur,  who 
vanquished  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  on  the  ice ! " 
she  said,  looking  at  Mr.  Morris  and  laughing  with  a 
certain  malicious  satisfaction.  She  extended  to  Cal- 
vert the  famously  beautiful  hand  and  arm,  from  which 
the  soft,  black  lace  fell  away,  revealing  its  exquisite 
roundness  and  whiteness  and  over  which  Mr.  Morris 
bent  low  in  salutation.  "  We  have  heard  of  your 
prowess  au  patinage,  Monsieur,"  she  continued,  glanc- 
ing at  Calvert,  and  then,  without  waiting  for  a  reply, 
much  to  the  young  man's  relief,  who  was  somewhat 
embarrassed  by  so  direct  a  compliment  and,  in  truth, 
utterly  weary  of  the  whole  subject,  of  which  he  heard 
continually,  she  turned  and  spoke  to  two  young 
gentlemen  half-concealed  in  the  deep  embrasure  of 
a  window.  At  her  call  they  both  came  forward,  the 

123 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

eldest,  the  Due  de  Chartres,  who  might  have  been 
sixteen  years  of  age,  laying  down  a  violin  on  which 
he  had  been  playing  softly,  and  the  younger,  Monsieur 
de  Beaujolais,  who  could  not  have  been  over  thirteen, 
closing  the  book  he  had  been  reading. 

"  Mes  fils,"  says  the  Duchess,  softly,  and  smiling 
at  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  with  a  sort  of  melancholy 
pride  shining  in  her  dark  eyes.  In  truth,  the  young 
princes  were  good  to  look  at,  especially  the  little  Mon- 
sieur de  Beaujolais,  who  had  a  most  animated  and 
pleasing  countenance.  As  they  stood  one  on  each 
side  of  their  mother  they  made  a  pretty  group.  Per- 
haps 'twas  the  remembrance  of  that  picture  in  after 
years  which  warmed  Mr.  Morris's  heart  to  the  exile 
in  distress  over  the  seas  and  made  him  a  generous 
friend  despite  the  royal  ingratitude. 

"  So  she  has  saved  something  out  of  the  wreck  of 
her  life,"  thought  Mr.  Calvert,  pityingly,  looking  at 
the  two  youths.  "  'Tis  doubly  fortunate  that  they  in 
nowise  resemble  their  ignoble  father,"  and  he  thought 
with  disgust  of  that  dissolute  nobleman  of  whom  he 
had  heard  so  much.  While  these  thoughts  were 
passing  through  his  mind  the  Duchess  was  speaking 
earnestly  to  Mr.  Morris. 

"  I  ask  your  advice,  Monsieur,"  she  said,  dismissing 
with  a  smile  the  two  young  gentlemen,  who  retired 
once  more  to  their  place  at  the  window.  "  You,  who 
seem  to  know  so  well  how  to  breed  heroes  in  your  own 
country,  can  surely  tell  me  how  to  bring  up  my  sons 
to  be  an  honor  to  their  race !  " 

"  Your  Highness,"  returned  Mr.  Morris,  after  an 
124 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

instant's  hesitation,  and  deeply  moved  at  such  a  mark 
of  esteem,  "  for  Monsieur  le  Due  de  Chartres,  who, 
in  the  inscrutable  workings  of  Providence,  may  one 
day  be  king  " — the  Duchess  started  and  turned  pale 
— "  there  is  but  one  course  to  follow,  one  education 
open.  But  for  Monsieur  de  Beaujolais,  why  should 
he  not  lend  his  talents  to  business  enterprises,  to  great 
commercial  undertakings  which  make  for  the  pros- 
perity and  stability  of  a  country  as  surely  as  even  its 
army  or  navy?  Thus  also  will  he  create  happiness 
for  himself,  because,  if  idle,  at  five  and  twenty,  having 
enjoyed  all  that  rank  and  fortune  can  give  him,  he 
will  be  unhappy  from  not  knowing  what  to  do  with 
himself." 

In  spite  of  the  democratic  simplicity  of  the  idea,  the 
Duchess  seemed  impressed  and  listened  attentively 
to  Mr.  Morris,  who  was  about  to  explain  more  at 
length  the  advantages  of  such  a  career  for  the  young 
prince,  when  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the 
lackey  at  the  door  announcing  the  arrival  of  Madame 
la  Comtesse  de  Flahaut. 

At  the  name  the  Duchess  threw  a  meaning  look  at 
Mr.  Morris. 

"  Enfin !  J'ai  fait  venir  Madame  de  Flahaut  ce 
soir.  N'est  ce  pas  que  je  suis  aimable  ? "  she  said, 
laughing,  and  speaking  rapidly. 

Mr.  Morris  bowed  low  before  Madame  la  Duchesse, 
succeeding  perfectly  in  conveying  by  a  look  his  appre- 
ciation without  committing  himself  to  anything  more 
serious. 

"And  did  Your  Royal  Highness  also  send  for  a 
125 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

substitute  in  case  I  prove  wearying  to  Madame  la 
Comtesse  ?  "  he  asked,  smiling,  as  he  caught  sight  of 
a  gentleman  who  had  followed  Madame  de  Flahaut 
into  the  room  and  who  wore  the  ecclesiastical  dress 
of  a  bishop.  Perhaps  what  most  attracted  Mr.  Mor- 
ris's notice  was  that  he  seemed  a  man  of  about  his 
own  age  and,  like  himself,  lame.  "  Who  is  it  ?  "  he 
asked,  in  a  low  voice,  as  the  two  approached. 

"  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand-Perigord,  Bishop  of 
Autun,  who,  I  understand,  is  in  danger  of  losing  his 
place  in  the  affections  of  Madame  on  account  of  Mon- 
sieur Morris,"  returned  the  Duchess,  hurriedly,  and 
glancing  mischievously,  though  keenly,  at  Mr.  Mor- 
ris's face,  which,  however,  preserved  its  expression 
of  impassivity. 

"  Ah !  place  aux  eveques  !  "  murmured  Mr.  Morris, 
quietly. 

Salutations  and  the  presentation  of  Mr.  Morris  and 
Mr.  Calvert  having  been  made,  the  Bishop  of  Autun 
turned  to  the  Duchess. 

"  Your  Highness,"  he  said,  "  I  have  come  to  beg 
a  dinner." 

"  And  we  have  brought  our  bread  with  us,  that  we 
may  be  sure  of  our  welcome !  "  cried  out  Madame  de 
Flahaut,  with  a  little  laugh.  And  indeed  they  had, 
for  wheat  was  so  scarce  in  Paris  that  it  was  the  fashion 
for  ladies  and  gentlemen  to  send  their  servants  with 
bread  when  dining  out. 

"  Monsieur  1'eveque  knows  he  is  always  welcome," 
said  the  Duchess,  gently,  and  smiling  at  Madame  de 
Flahaut.  "  Once  our  guest,  always  our  guest." 

126 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

In  a  little  while  the  tutor  of  the  young  princes  came 
in  and  took  away  his  charges,  and  the  company  sat 
down  to  supper.  It  was  one  o'f  Her  Highness's  little 
soupers  intimes,  which  she  gave  each  Thursday,  and 
upon  which  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Orleans  and  his  wild 
companions  never  intruded.  Though  the  company  was 
small  it  was  very  gay,  and  it  would  have  been  hard 
to  say  who  contributed  most  to  the  wit  and  sparkle 
of  the  talk  which  went  on  ceaselessly — Mr.  Morris, 
Monsieur  le  Vicomte  de  Segur,  or  Monsieur  de 
Boufflers,  who,  as  usual,  was  present  in  the  train  of 
the  beautiful  Madame  de  Sabran.  As  for  Mr.  Morris, 
he  was  in  the  highest  spirits  and  devoted  himself  with 
gallant  courtesy  to  Madame  la  Duchesse  d'Orleans, 
on  whose  left  he  sat,  much  to  the  evident  pique  of 
Madame  de  Flahaut.  With  that  wonderful  adaptabil- 
ity which  made  him  at  ease  in  any  society  in  which  he 
found  himself,  he  adjusted  himself  to  the  company  of 
the  evening,  and,  being  perfectly  master  of  the  French 
language,  could  not  only  understand  the  light  talk 
and  persiflage,  but  even  led  in  the  conversation. 

As  for  Mr.  Calvert,  having  none  of  that  adaptability 
possessed  in  so  large  a  share  by  Mr.  Morris,  he  felt 
himself  out  of  his  element,  uninterested  and  therefore 
uninteresting,  and  he  listened  with  inward  irritation 
to  the  loose  anecdotes,  the  piquant  allusions,  the  coarse 
gossip,  so  freely  bandied  about.  It  was  with  some- 
thing akin  to  a  feeling  of  relief  that  he  heard  his 
name  spoken  and  turned  to  find  the  keen,  restless  eyes 
of  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand,  beside  whom  he  was  seated, 
fixed  upon  him. 

127 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Monsieur  is  not  interested  in  the  conversation  ?  " 
he  asked,  and,  though  there  was  a  mocking  smile  on 
the  thin  lips,  there  was  also  a  kindly  look  in  the 
brilliant  eyes. 

Calvert  blushed  hotly  at  being  so  easily  found  out 
by  this  worldly  looking  prelate.  Monsieur  de  Talley- 
rand shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  'Tis  a  good  sign,  I 
think,"  and  he  looked  still  more  kindly  at  Calvert. 
"  You  have  been  brought  up  amid  simpler,  purer  sur- 
roundings, Mr.  Calvert,"  he  said,  suddenly  leaning 
over  toward  the  young  man  and  speaking  in  tones 
so  low  as  to  be  drowned  in  the  noisy  conversation. 
"  I  envy  you  your  good  fortune,"  he  went  on.  "  I 
envy  you  your  inability  to  fit  yourself  into  any  niche, 
to  adjust  yourself  to  any  surroundings,  as  your  friend 
Monsieur  Morris,  for  example,  seems  to  have  the 
faculty  of  doing.  See,  he  is  even  making  verses  to 
Madame  la  Duchesse !  " 

Calvert  looked  over  at  Mr.  Morris  and  saw  him 
tear  from  his  table-book  a  leaf  upon  which  he  had  been 
writing  and,  with  a  bow,  offer  it  to  the  Duchess. 

"  Are  we  not  to  hear  Monsieur's  verses  ?  "  demands 
Monsieur  de  Talleyrand,  languidly,  after  a  moment's 
silence,  during  which  Her  Highness  had  regarded  the 
lines  with  a  puzzled  air,  and  smiling  faintly. 

"  These  are  in  English — I  shall  have  to  get  Madame 
de  Chastellux  to  translate  them  for  me  some  day," 
and  she  folded  the  paper  as  if  to  put  it  away,  but 
there  arose  such  exclamations  of  disappointment,  such 
gentle  entreaties  not  to  be  denied  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  the  verses,  that  she  yielded  to  the  clamor  and 

128 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

signalled  Madame  de  Chastellux  her  permission  to 
have  them  read  aloud.  Amid  a  discreet  silence,  broken 
only  by  little  murmurs  of  appreciation  and  perfumed 
applause,  the  lady  of  honor  read  the  lines,  translating 
them  as  she  read: 

"  If  Beauty  so  sweet  in  all  gentleness  drest, 

In  loveliness,  virtue  arrayed  ; 
By  the  graces  adorned,  by  the  muses  carest, 
By  lofty  ambition  obeyed  ; 

Ah !  who  shall  escape  from  the  gold-painted  dart, 

When  Orleans  touches  the  bow  ? 
Who  the  softness  resist  of  that  sensible  heart 

Where  love  and  benevolence  glow  ? 

Thus  we  dream  of  the  Gods  who  with  bounty  supreme 

Our  humble  petitions  accord. 
Our  love  they  excite,  and  command  our  esteem 

Tho'  only  at  distance  adored." 

There  was  a  ripple  of  applause,  somewhat  languid 
and  perfunctory  on  the  part  of  the  gentlemen,  viva- 
cious and  prolonged  on  the  part  of  the  ladies,  as 
Madame  de  Chastellux  finished.  To  Mr.  Calvert  the 
scene  was  a  little  ridiculous,  the  interest  of  the  com- 
pany, like  the  sentiment  of  the  verses,  somewhat 
artificial,  and  Mr.  Morris's  role  of  versifier  to  Madame 
la  Duchesse  decidedly  beneath  that  gentleman's  talents. 

Monsieur  de  Talleyrand  laughed  softly.  ' '  Other 
places — other  customs,'  "  he  said,  and  again  reading 
Calvert's  thoughts  so  accurately  that  that  young 
gentleman  scarce  knew  whether  to  be  most  astonished 
or  indignant.  It  would  most  likely  have  been  the 

129 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

latter  had  not  a  certain  friendliness  in  the  Bishop's 
glance  disarmed  his  anger.  "  Mr.  Morris  is  fort- 
unate," he  went  on,  quietly.  "  See — he  has  pleased 
everyone  except  Madame  de  Flahaut." 

'Twas  indeed  as  he  had  said,  and,  amid  the  applause 
and  compliments,  only  Madame  de  Flahaut  sat  silent 
and  evidently  piqued,  her  pretty  face  wearing  an 
expression  of  bored  indifference.  But  even  while 
Monsieur  de  Talleyrand  spoke,  Mr.  Morris,  bending 
toward  her,  addressed  some  remark  to  her  and  in  an 
instant  she  was  all  animation  and  charm,  exerting 
for  his  benefit  every  fascination  of  which  she  was 
mistress,  and  showing  him  by  glance  and  voice  how 
greatly  she  prized  his  attentions.  For  a  moment  Mr. 
Calvert  sat  silent,  contemplating  the  little  play  going 
on  before  his  eyes,  when,  suddenly  remembering  the 
words  of  the  Duchess(e  d'Orleans,  he  turned  and 
looked  at  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand.  Such  a  softening 
change  had  come  over  the  cynical,  impassive  counte- 
nance, so  wistful  a  look  into  the  keen,  dark  eyes  bent 
upon  Madame  de  Flahaut,  as  caused  a  feeling  of  pity 
in  the  young  man's  heart  for  this  brilliant,  unhappy, 
unrighteous  servant  of  the  Church. 

"  So  Mr.  Calvert  has  read  my  secret,  as  I  read  his," 
said  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand,  slowly,  and  returning 
the  gaze  which  Calvert  had  absently  fastened  upon  him 
while  revolving  these  thoughts.  Suddenly  he  began 
speaking  rapidly,  as  if  impelled  thereto  by  some  inward 
force,  and,  in  a  low  but  passionately  intense  voice, 
heard  only  by  Mr.  Calvert : 

"  We  are  the  sport  of  fate  in  this  country  more  than 
130 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

in  any  other,  I  think,"  he  said.  "  I  might  have  been 
a  young  man  like  yourself,  as  noble,  good,  and  true 
as  yourself — oh,  do  not  look  astonished!  Tis  one 
of  my  acknowledged  talents — the  reading  of  character 
— I,  like  yourself,  might  have  fought  and  loved  with 
honor  but  that  I  am  lame,  and  why  was  I  lame  ?  "  he 
went  on,  bitterly.  "  Because  I  never  knew  a  mother's 
love  or  care,  because,  when  a  baby,  being  sent  from 
my  home — and  under  that  roof  I  have  never  spent 
a  night  since — I  fell  and  injured  my  foot,  and  the 
woman  in  whose  charge  I  had  been  put,  being  afraid 
to  tell  my  parents  of  my  mishap,  the  hurt  was  allowed 
to  go  uncorrected  until  'twas  too  late.  And  so,  being 
lame  and  unfit  for  a  soldier's  career,  I  was  thrust 
into  the  Church,  nolens  volens.  Monsieur  Calvert," 
he  said,  smiling  seriously,  "  when  you  hear  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson criticising  the  Bishop  of  Autun — for  I  know 
he  thinks  but  slightingly  of  the  ecclesiastic — recollect 
that  'twas  the  disappointed  ambition  and  the  unrelent- 
ing commands  of  Charles  Maurice  Talleyrand's  par- 
ents which  made  him  what  he  is !  We  are  all  like 
that,"  he  went  on,  moodily.  "  Look  at  de  Ligne — he 
was  married  by  his  father  at  twenty  to  a  young  girl 
whom  he  had  never  seen  until  a  week  before  the  wed- 
ding. And  Madame  de  Flahaut — at  fifteen  she  was 
sacrificed  to  a  man  of  fifty-five,  who  scarcely  notices 
her  existence  1 "  He  glanced  across  the  table  and 
again  the  power  of  love  touched  and  softened  his  face 
for  an  instant.  He  rose — for  the  supper  was  finished 
and  the  company  beginning  to  move — and  laid  his 
hand  for  an  instant  on  Calvert's  broad  young  shoul- 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

der.  "  Mr.  Calvert,"  he  said,  half-mockingly,  half- 
seriously,  "  do  not  be  too  hard  upon  us !  There  are 
some  excuses  to  be  made.  In  your  country  all 
things  are  new — your  laws,  your  habits,  your  civiliza- 
tion are  yet  plastic.  See  that  you  mould  them  well! 
Tis  too  late  here — we  are  as  the  generations  have 
made  us.  '  Other  places — other  customs ! '  "  and  he 
went  off  limping. 

To  his  dying  day  Mr.  Calvert  never  forgot  the 
fascination,  the  open  frankness  of  Monsieur  de  Talley- 
rand's manner  on  that  occasion,  nor  the  look  of 
sadness  and  suffering  in  his  eyes.  When  he  heard 
him  in  after  years  accused  of  shameless  veniality,  of 
trickery,  lying,  duplicity,  even  murder,  he  always 
remembered  that  impulsive  revelation — never  repeated 
— of  a  warped,  unhappy  childhood,  of  a  perverted 
destiny. 

Mr.  Morris  came  to  him  later  as  he  stood  leaning 
against  the  wall  behind  the  chair  of  Madame  de 
Chastellux. 

"  How  goes  it,  Ned  ?  "  he  asked,  half-laughing  and 
stifling  a  yawn.  "  As  for  myself,  I  am  getting  con- 
foundedly bored.  I  can't  think  of  any  more  verses, 
so  the  ladies  find  me  insipid,  and  they  are  beginning 
to  talk  politics,  of  which  they  know  nothing,  so  I 
find  them  ridiculous.  They  are  already  deep  in  the 
discussion  of  the  Abbe  Sieyes's  brochure,  '  Qu'est-ce 
que  le  Tiers  Etat,'  and  Madame  de  Flahaut  declares  that 
his  writings  and  opinions  will  form  a  new  epoch  in 
politics  as  those  of  Newton  in  physics!  Can  fatuity 
go  farther?  And  yet  she  is  the  cleverest  woman  I 

132 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

have  met  in  France.  The  men  are  as  ignorant  as 
the  women,  except  that  scoundrel  of  a  bishop,  who, 
like  myself,  is  bored  by  the  incessant  talk  of  politics 
and  has  just  assured  me  that  no  one  has  an  idea  of 
the  charm  of  life  who  has  not  lived  before  this  year 
of  1789.  I  can  easily  believe  it.  But  perhaps  he  told 
you  the  same  thing — I  saw  you  two  talking  together 
at  supper." 

"  Yes,"  said  Calvert,  "  we  were  talking,  but  not  of 
politics  or  the  charm  of  life.  He  was  very  interesting 
and  unexpectedly  friendly,"  he  added,  with  some 
emotion,  for  he  was  still  under  Monsieur  de  Talley- 
rand's spell. 

"  I  would  have  thought  him  the  last  man  to  interest 
you,  my  young  Bayard,"  returned  Mr.  Morris,  with 
some  surprise.  "  He  appears  to  me  to  be  a  sly,  cun- 
ning, ambitious  man.  I  know  not  why  conclusions 
so  disadvantageous  to  him  are  formed  in  my  mind, 
but  so  it  is.  I  cannot  help  it." 

Mr.  Calvert  could  not  repress  a  smile,  for  it  occurred 
to  him  that  it  was  more  than  possible  that  Monsieur 
de  Talleyrand's  well-known  devotion  to  Madame  de 
Flahaut  (whom  it  was  evident  Mr.  Morris  admired 
greatly,  though  he  so  stoutly  denied  it)  might  have 
prejudiced  his  opinion  of  the  Bishop.  Mr.  Morris 
was  quick  to  note  the  smile  and  to  divine  its  cause. 

"  No,  no,  my  dear  Ned,"  he  said,  laughing,  "  'tis 
not  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand's  connection  with  Madame 
de  Flahaut  which  makes  me  speak  of  him  after  this 
fashion.  Indeed,  there  is  but  a  Platonic  friendship 
between  the  fair  lady  and  myself,"  and,  still  laughing, 

133 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

Mr.  Morris  turned  away  from  Calvert  and  stumped 
his  way  back  to  the  side  of  the  lady  of  his  Platonic 
affections,  where  he  remained  until  the  company 
broke  up. 

As  for  Mr.  Calvert,  in  spite  of  Mr.  Morris's  predi- 
lections, he  was  of  the  opinion  that  of  the  two — the 
unchurchly  bishop  and  the  pretty  intrigante — Mon- 
sieur de  Talleyrand  was  the  more  admirable  character. 
Indeed,  he  had  disliked  and  distrusted  Madame  de 
Flahaut  from  the  first  time  of  meeting  her,  and,  to  do 
the  lady  justice,  she  had  disliked  Mr.  Calvert  just 
as  heartily  and  could  never  be  got  to  believe  that  he 
was  anything  but  a  most  unintelligent  and  uninterest- 
ing young  man,  convinced  that  his  taciturnity  and 
unruffled  serenity  before  her  charms  were  the  signs 
of  crass  stupidity. 

If  Mr.  Calvert  found  the  pretty  and  vivacious 
Comtesse  de  Flahaut  little  to  his  taste,  the  society 
of  which  she  was  a  type  offended  him  still  more.  It 
had  taken  him  but  a  short  time  to  realize  what  shams, 
what  hollowness,  what  corruption  existed  beneath  the 
brilliant  and  gay  surface.  Amiability,  charm,  wit, 
grace  were  to  be  found  everywhere  in  their  perfection, 
but  nowhere  was  truth,  or  sincerity,  or  real  pleasure. 
All  things  were  perverted.  Constancy  was  only  to 
be  found  in  inconstancy.  Gossip  and  rumor  left  no 
frailty  undiscovered,  no  reputation  unsmirched.  Re- 
ligion was  scoffed  at,  love  was  caricatured.  All  about 
him  Calvert  saw  young  nobles,  each  the  slave  of  some 
particular  goddess,  bowing  down  and  doing  duty  like 
the  humblest  menial,  now  caressed,  now  ill-treated, 

134 


AMERICANS  MADE  WELCOME  IN  PARIS 

but  always  at  beck  and  call,  always  obedient.  It  was 
the  fashion,  and  no  courtier  resented  this  treatment, 
which  served  both  to  reduce  the  men  to  the  rank  of 
puppets  and  to  render  incredibly  capricious  the  beau- 
ties who  found  themselves  so  powerful.  All  the 
virility  of  Calvert's  nature,  all  his  new-world  inde- 
pendence and  his  sense  of  honor,  was  revolted  by  such 
a  state  of  things.  As  he  looked  around  the  company, 
there  was  not  a  man  or  woman  to  be  seen  of  whom 
he  had  not  already  heard  some  risque  story  or  covert 
insinuation,  and,  though  he  was  no  strait-laced  Puri- 
tan, a  sort  of  disdain  for  these  effeminate  courtiers 
and  a  horror  of  these  beautiful  women  took  posses- 
sion of  him. 

"  Decidedly,"  he  thought  to  himself,  "  I  am  not 
fitted  for  this  society,"  and  so,  somewhat  out  of  con- 
ceit with  his  surroundings,  and  the  Duchess  having 
withdrawn,  he  bade  good-night  to  the  company  with- 
out waiting  for  Mr.  Morris,  and  took  himself  and  his 
disturbed  thoughts  back  to  the  Legation. 


CHAPTER   IX 

IN  WHICH  MR.  CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS 
MISCARRY 

IT  was  in  the  midst  of  such  society  that  Calvert 
encountered  Madame  de  St.  Andre  repeatedly  during 
the  remainder  of  the  winter  and  early  spring.  And 
though  she  was  as  imperious  and  capricious  as  possible, 
followed  about  by  a  dozen  admirers  (of  whom  poor 
Beaufort  was  one  of  the  most  constant) ;  though 
she  was  as  thoughtless,  as  pleasure-loving  as  any  of 
that  thoughtless,  pleasure-loving  society  in  which  she 
moved ;  though  she  had  a  hundred  faults  easy  to  be 
seen,  yet,  in  Calvert's  opinion,  there  was  still  a  saving 
grace  about  her,  a  fragrant  youthfulness,  a  purity  and 
splendor  that  coarsened  and  cheapened  all  who  were 
brought  into  comparison  with  her.  When  she  sat 
beside  the  old  Duchesse  d'Azay  at  the  Opera  or 
Comedie,  he  had  no  eyes  for  la  Saint-Huberti  or  Con- 
tat,  and  thought  that  she  outshone  all  the  beauties 
both  on  the  stage  and  in  the  brilliant  audience. 
Usually,  however,  he  was  content  to  admire  her  at  a 
distance  and  rarely  left  the  box  which  he  occupied 
with  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Morris  to  pay  his  respects 
to  her  and  Madame  d'Azay.  For  while  Adrienne  at- 
tracted him,  he  was  yet  conscious  that  it  was  best  for 
him  not  to  be  drawn  into  the  circle  of  her  fascina- 

136 


CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

tions,  and,  although  he  made  a  thousand  excuses  for 
her  caprice  and  coquetry,  he  had  no  intention  of  be- 
coming the  victim  of  either.  Indeed,  he  had  already 
experienced  somewhat  of  her  caprice  and  had  found 
it  little  to  his  liking.  Since  the  afternoon  on  which 
they  had  skated  together  she  had  never  again  treated 
him  in  so  unaffected  and  friendly  a  fashion.  A  hun- 
dred times  had  she  passed  him  at  the  opera  or  the  play 
or  in  the  salons  which  they  both  frequented,  with 
scarcely  a  nod  or  smile,  and  Mr.  Calvert  was  both  of- 
fended and  amused  by  such  cavalier  treatment  and 
haughty  manners. 

"  She  has  the  air  of  a  princess  royal  and  treats  me 
as  the  meanest  of  her  subjects.  'Tis  a  good  thing 
we  Americans  have  cast  off  the  yoke  of  royalty,"  he 
thought  to  himself,  with  a  smile.  "  And  as  for  beauty 
— there  are  a  dozen  belles  in  Virginia  alone  almost 
her  equal  in  loveliness  and  surely  far  sweeter,  simpler, 
less  spoiled.  And  yet — and  yet — "  and  the  young  man 
would  find  himself  wondering  what  was  that  special 
charm  by  virtue  of  which  she  triumphed  over  all 
others.  He  did  not  himself  yet  know  why  it  was  that 
he  excused  her  follies,  found  her  the  most  beautiful 
of  all  women,  or  fell  into  a  sort  of  rage  at  seeing  her 
in  the  loose  society  of  the  day,  with  such  men  as 
St.  Aulaire  and  a  dozen  others  of  his  kind  in  her 
train.  But  though  unable  to  analyze  her  charm  he 
was  yet  vaguely  conscious  of  its  danger,  and  had  it 
depended  upon  himself  he  would  have  seen  but  little 
of  her.  This,  however,  was  an  impossibility,  as  Mr. 
Jefferson  was  a  constant  visitor  at  the  hotel  of  Madame 

137 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

d'Azay,  who,  true  to  her  word,  seemed  to  take  the 
liveliest  interest  in  Mr.  Calvert  and  commanded  his 
presence  in  her  salon  frequently.  Indeed,  the  old 
Duchess  was  pleased  to  profess  herself  charmed  with 
the  young  American,  and  would  have  been  delighted, 
apparently,  to  see  him  at  any  and  all  hours,  had  his 
duties  permitted  him  so  much  leisure.  Besides  the 
cordial  invitations  of  the  dowager  Duchess  to  the 
hotel  in  the  rue  St.  Honore,  there  were  others  as 
pressing  from  d'Azay  himself,  who,  having  secured 
his  election  in  Touraine,  had  returned  to  Paris.  The 
young  nobleman  was  frequently  at  the  American  Le- 
gation in  consultation  with  the  Minister,  whose  opin- 
ions and  character  excited  his  greatest  admiration, 
and  it  was  one  of  his  chiefest  delights,  when  business 
was  concluded,  to  carry  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Calvert 
back  to  his  aunt's  drawing-room  with  him  for  a  dish 
of  tea  and  an  hour's  conversation. 

It  was  on  one  of  those  occasions  that,  having  accom- 
panied Mr.  Jefferson  and  d'Azay  to  the  rue  St.  Honore 
in  the  latter's  coach  (Mr.  Morris  promising  to  look 
in  later),  Mr.  Calvert  had  the  opportunity  of  speaking 
at  length  with  Madame  de  St.  Andre  for  the  first 
time  since  the  afternoon  on  the  ice.  When  the  three 
gentlemen  entered  the  drawing-room  a  numerous 
company  was  already  assembled,  the  older  members 
of  which  were  busy  with  quinze  and  lansquenet  in  a 
card-room  that  opened  out  of  the  salon,  the  younger 
ones  standing  or  sitting  about  in  groups  and  listening 
to  a  song  which  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  who  was 
at  the  harpsichord,  had  just  begun.  It  was  Blondel's 

138 


CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

song  from  Gretry's  "  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,"  about 
which  all  Paris  was  crazy  and  which  Garat  sang  nightly 
with  a  prodigious  success  at  the  Opera.  This  aria 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  essayed  in  faithful  imita- 
tion of  the  great  tenor's  manner  and  in  a  voice  which 
showed  traces  of  having  once  been  beautiful,  but 
which  age  and  excesses  had  now  broken  and  rendered 
harsh  and  forced. 

As  Calvert  saluted  Adrienne,  when  the  perfunc- 
tory applause  which  this  performance  called  forth 
had  died  away,  he  thought  he  had  never  seen  her  look 
so  lovely.  She  wore  a  dress  of  some  soft  water-green 
fabric  shot  with  threads  of  silver  that  fell  away  from 
her  rounded  throat  and  arms,  bringing  the  creamy 
fairness  of  her  complexion  (which,  for  the  first  time, 
he  saw  enhanced  by  black  patches)  and  the  dusky 
brown  of  her  hair  to  a  very  perfection  of  beauty. 
She  was  standing  by  the  harpsichord  when  the  gen- 
tlemen entered,  but,  on  catching  sight  of  Mr.  Jefferson, 
she  went  forward  graciously,  extending  her  hand,  over 
which  he  bowed  low  in  admiration  of  that  young 
beauty  which,  in  his  eyes,  had  no  equal  in  Paris. 

There  was  another  pair  of  eyes  upon  her  which  saw 
as  Mr.  Jefferson's  kindly  ones  did,  but  to  them  the 
young  girl  paid  little  attention,  only  giving  Mr.  Cal- 
vert a  brief  courtesy  as  she  went  to  salute  her  brother. 

"  Will  you  not  make  Mr.  Jefferson  a  dish  of  tea, 
Adrienne  ?  "  asked  d'Azay,  kissing  her  on  both  her 
fair  cheeks.  "  And  if  we  are  to  have  music  I  beg 
you  will  ask  Calvert  to  sing  for  us,  for  he  has  the 
sweetest  voice  in  the  world." 

139 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  the  young  girl,  a  little  disdain- 
fully. "  Mr.  Calvert  is  a  very  prodigy  of  accomplish- 
ments ! " 

"  Far  from  it ! "  returned  Mr.  Calvert,  good- 
naturedly.  "  'Tis  but  a  jest  of  Henri's.  Indeed, 
Madame,  I  am  nothing  of  a  musician." 

"  He  may  not  be  a  musician,  but  he  has  a  voice 
as  beautiful  as  Carat's,  though  I  know  'tis  heresy  to 
compare  anyone  with  that  idol  of  Paris,"  said  Beau- 
fort, joining  the  group  at  that  instant.  "  Dost  thou 
remember  that  pretty  ballad  that  thou  sangst  at  Mon- 
ticello,  Ned  ?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  Calvert.  "  In- 
deed, Madame,  I  think  'twas  of  you  he  sang,"  he 
added,  smiling  mischievously  at  Madame  de  St. 
Andre. 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  demanded  Adrienne,  imperiously. 
"  Is  this  another  jest  ?  But  I  must  hear  this  song,"  she 
went  on,  impatiently,  and  with  a  touch  of  curiosity. 

"  'Twas  my  favorite  '  Lass  with  the  Delicate  Air,'  " 
said  Mr.  Jefferson,  smiling.  "  You  must  sing  it  for 
us,  Ned,  and  I  will  play  for  you  as  I  used  to  do." 
He  took  from  its  case  a  violin  lying  upon  the  harpsi- 
chord and,  leaning  over  it,  he  began  softly  the  quaint 
accompaniment  that  sustains  so  perfectly  the  whimsical 
melodies  and  surprising  cadences  of  Dr.  Arne's 
ballad. 

Though  few  of  Mr.  Calvert 's  audience  could  under- 
stand the  sentiment  of  his  song,  all  listened  with 
admiration  to  the  voice,  which  still  retained  much 
of  its  boyish  sweetness  and  thrilling  pathos.  Amid 
the  applause  which  followed  the  conclusion  of  the 

140 


CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

song,  Madame  d'Azay  left  the  lansquenet  table  and 
appeared  at  the  door  of  the  salon. 

"  Charming,"  she  cried.  "  But  I  don't  know  your 
English,  so  sing  us  something  in  French,  Monsieur, 
that  I  may  applaud  the  sentiment  as  well  as  the  voice." 

Mr.  Calvert  bowed  with  as  good  grace  as  he  could, 
being  secretly  much  dissatisfied  at  having  to  thus 
exploit  his  small  talent  for  the  benefit  of  the  company, 
and,  seating  himself  at  the  harpsichord,  began  a  plain- 
tive little  air  in  a  minor  key,  to  which  he  had  fitted 
the  words  of  a  song  he  had  but  lately  read  and  greatly 
admired.  Being,  as  he  had  said,  nothing  of  a  musi- 
cian, the  delicate  accompaniment  of  the  song  was 
quite  beyond  him,  but  having  a  true  ear  for  accord 
and  a  firm,  light  touch,  he  improvised  a  not  unpleas- 
ing  melody  that  fitted  perfectly  the  poem.  Twas 
the  "  Consolation  "  of  Malherbe,  and,  as  Calvert  sang, 
the  tenderness  and  melancholy  beauty  of  both  words 
and  music  struck  the  whole  company  into  silence : 

" '  Mais  elle  £tait  du  monde  ou  les  plus  belles  choses 

Ont  le  pire  destin, 

Et,  rose,  elle  a  v6cu  ce  que  vivent  les  roses — 
L'espace  d'un  matin. 

"  La  mort  a  des  rigueurs  a  nulle  autre  pareilles, 

On  a  beau  la  prier, 

La  cruelle  qu'elle  est  se  bouche  les  oreilles, 
Et  nous  laisse  crier. 

"  Le  pauvre  en  sa  cabane,  ou  le  chaume  le  couvre, 

Est  sujet  a  ses  lois, 

Et  le  garde  qui  veille  aux  barrieres  du  Louvre 
N'en  defend  pas  nos  rois.'  " 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  'Tis  a  gloomy  song,"  whispered  Beaufort  to 
the  young  Vicomte  de  Noailles,  Lafayette's  kinsman, 
and  then,  turning  to  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  sulkily 
looking  on  at  the  scene  and  whom  he  hated  both 
for  his  devotion  to  Adrienne  and  because  he  was 
of  the  Orleans  party,  he  said,  with  languid  malicious- 
ness, "  My  dear  Baron,  a  thousand  pities  that  you 
have  taken  no  care  of  your  voice!  I  can  remember 
when  it  was  such  a  one  as  Monsieur  Calvert's." 

"  You  were  ever  a  sad  flatterer,  my  dear  Beaufort," 
returned  St.  Aulaire,  one  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sil- 
ver dress  sword,  the  other  holding  his  chapeau  de  bras. 
He  regarded  Beaufort  for  an  instant  with  a  sour 
smile,  and  then  turned  and  made  his  way  to  Calvert. 

"  Ah,  Monsieur,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  was  suave, 
though  there  was  a  mocking  light  in  his  eyes,  "  I  see 
I  have  made  a  mistake.  I  had  thought  you  a  past 
master  in  the  arf  of  skating,  now  I  see  that  your  true 
role  is  that  of  the  stage  hero.  You  would  become 
as  spoilt  a  favorite  as  Garat  himself.  The  ladies  all 
commit  a  thousand  follies  for  him." 

"  Sir,"  returned  Mr.  Calvert,  quietly,  though  he 
was  white  with  unaccustomed  anger,  "  I  see  that  you 
are  one  destined  to  make  mistakes.  I  am  neither 
skating-  nor  singing-master,  nor  clown  nor  coward. 
I  am  an  American  gentleman,  and,  should  anyone  be 
inclined  to  doubt  that  fact,  I  will  convince  him  of  it 
at  the  point  of  my  sword — or  with  pistols,  since  Eng- 
lish customs  are  the  mode  here." 

As  Calvert  looked  at  the  handsome,  dissipated  face 
of  the  nobleman  before  him  a  sudden  gust  of  passion 

142 


CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

shook  him  that  so  insolent  a  scoundrel  should  dare 
to  speak  to  him  in  such  fashion.  And  though  he 
retained  all  his  self-control  and  outward  composure, 
so  strange  a  smile  played  about  his  lip  and  so  mean- 
ing an  expression  came  into  his  eye  as  caused  no 
little  surprise  to  St.  Aulaire,  who  had  entirely  under- 
estimated the  spirit  that  lay  beneath  so  calm  and 
boyish  an  exterior.  As  he  was  about  to  reply  to 
Calvert,  Madame  de  St.  Andre  approached.  Mak- 
ing a  low  bow,  and  without  a  word,  Monsieur  de 
St.  Aulaire  retired,  leaving  Calvert  with  the  young 
girl. 

"  Come  with  me,  sir,"  she  said,  smiling  imperiously 
on  the  young  man  and  speaking  rapidly.  "  I  have 
many  questions  to  ask  you !  You  are  full  of  surprises, 
Monsieur,  and  I  must  have  my  curiosity  satisfied. 
We  have  many  arrears  of  conversation  to  make  up. 
Did  you  not  promise  to  tell  me  of  General  Washington, 
of  America,  of  your  young  Scotch  poet?  But,  first 
of  all,  I  must  have  a  list  of  your  accomplishments," 
and  she  laughed  musically.  Calvert  thought  it  was 
like  seeing  the  sun  break  through  the  clouds  on  a 
stormy  day  to  see  this  sudden  change  to  girlish  gayety 
and  naturalness  from  her  grand  air  of  princess  royal, 
and  which,  after  all,  he  reflected,  she  had  something 
of  a  right  to  assume.  Indeed,  she  bore  the  name  of 
one  who  had  been  a  most  distinguished  officer  of  the 
King  and  who  had  died  in  his  service,  and  she  was 
herself  the  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  nobles  who, 
if  they  had  not  all  been  benefactors  of  their  race,  had, 
at  least,  never  shirked  the  brunt  of  battle  nor  any 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

service  in  the  royal  cause.  On  her  father's  side  she 
was  sprung  from  that  great  warrior,  Jacques  d'Azay, 
who  fought  side  by  side  with  Lafayette's  ancestor 
in  the  battle  of  Beauge,  when  the  brother  of  Harry 
of  England  was  defeated  and  slain.  On  her  mother's 
side  she  came  of  the  race  of  the  wise  and  powerful 
Due  de  Sully,  Henry  of  Navarre's  able  minister. 
One  of  her  great  uncles  had  been  a  Grand  Almoner 
of  France,  and  another  had  commanded  one  of  the 
victorious  battalions  at  Fontenoy  under  the  Marechal 
Saxe.  The  portraits  of  some  of  these  great  gentle- 
men and  of  many  another  of  her  illustrious  ancestors 
hung  upon  the  walls  of  the  salons  and  galleries  of 
this  mansion  in  the  rue  St.  Honore.  The  very  house 
bespoke  the  pride  of  race  and  generations  of  afflu- 
ence, and  was  only  equalled  in  magnificence  by  the 
Noailles  hotel  near  by.  As  Mr.  Calvert  looked  about 
him  at  the  splendor  of  this  mansion,  which  had  been 
in  the  d'Azay  family  for  near  two  centuries  and  a 
half;  at  the  spacious  apartment  with  its  shining  mar- 
quetry floor,  its  marble  columns  separating  it  from 
the  great  entrance  hall ;  at  the  lofty  ceiling,  decorated 
by  the  famous  Lagrenee  with  a  scene  from  Virgil 
('twas  the  meeting  of  Dido  and  ^Eneas)  ;  at  the 
brilliant  company  gathered  together — as  Mr.  Calvert 
looked  at  all  this,  he  felt  a  thousand  miles  removed 
from  her  in  circumstance  and  sentiment,  and  thought 
to  himself  that  it  was  not  strange  that  she,  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  this  splendor  since  her  birth, 
should  treat  an  unassuming,  untitled  gentleman  from 
an  almost  unknown  country,  without  fortune  or  dis- 

144 


CALVERTS  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

tinction,  with  supercilious  indifference.  Indeed,  in 
his  heart  Mr.  Calvert  was  of  the  opinion  that  this 
dazzling  creature's  beauty  alone  was  enough  to  place 
her  above  princesses,  and  (thinking  of  the  fresco  on 
the  ceiling)  that  had  ^Eneas  but  met  her  instead  of 
Queen  Dido  he  had  never  abandoned  her  as  he  did 
the  Carthagenian. 

Perhaps  something  of  the  ardor  of  his  thoughts 
was  reflected  in  his  expression,  for  it  was  with  a  some- 
what embarrassed  look  that  Adrienne  pointed  to  a 
low  gilt  chair  beside  her  own. 

"  Will  you  be  seated,  sir  ?  And  now  for  your  con- 
fession !  But  even  before  that  I  must  know  why  you 
come  to  see  us  so  seldom.  Were  you  provoked 
because  I  rebelled  at  being  taken  to  task  that  after- 
noon on  the  ice  ?  But  see !  Am  I  not  good  now  ?  " 
and  she  threw  him  a  demure  glance  of  mock  humility 
that  seemed  to  make  her  face  more  charming  than 
ever. 

"  You  are  very  beautiful,"  said  Mr.  Calvert,  quietly. 

''  Tiens !  You  will  be  a  courtier  yet  if  you  are  not 
careful,"  returned  Adrienne,  smiling  divinely  at  the 
young  man  from  beneath  her  dark  lashes. 

"  'Tis  no  compliment,  Madame,  but  the  very  truth." 

"  The  truth,"  murmured  the  young  girl,  in  some 
embarrassment  at  Calvert's  sincere,  if  detached,  man- 
ner. "  One  hears  it  so  seldom  these  days  that  'tis 
difficult  to  recognize  it !  But  if  it  was  the  truth  I  fear 
it  was  not  the  whole  truth,  sir.  I  am  sure  I  detected 
an  uncomplimentary  arriere  pensee  in  your  speech !  " 
and  she  laughed  mockingly  at  the  young  man,  whose 

145 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

turn  it  was  to  be  embarrassed.  "  I  am  very  beautiful, 
but — what,  sir  ?  " 

"  But  you  would  be  even  more  so  without  those 
patches,  which  may  be  successful  enhancements  for 
lesser  beauties  but  are  beneath  the  uses  of  Madame  de 
St.  Andre,"  returned  Calvert,  bravely,  and  joining  in 
the  laugh  which  the  young  girl  could  not  repress. 

"  Pshaw,  sir !  What  an  idea !  "  said  Adrienne. 
"  Am  I  then  so  amiable  that  you  dare  take  advantage 
of  it  to  call  me  to  account  again?  I  am  beginning  to 
think,  sir,  that  I,  who  have  been  assured  by  so  many 
gentlemen  to  be  perfection  itself,  must,  after  all,  be 
a  most  faulty  creature  since  you  find  reason  to  reprove 
me  constantly,"  and  she  threw  Calvert  so  bewildering 
a  glance  that  that  young  gentleman  found  himself 
unable  to  reply  to  her  badinage. 

"  Besides,  Monsieur,"  she  went  on,  "  you  do  not 
do  justice  to  these  patches.  Is  it  possible  that  there 
exists  a  gentleman  so  ignorant  of  women  and  fashion 
as  not  to  know  the  origin  and  uses  of  the  mouche? 
Come,  sir,  attend  closely  while  I  give  you  a  lesson  in 
beauty  and  gallantry!  These  patches  which  you  so 
disdain  were  once  tiny  plasters  stretched  upon  black 
velvet  or  silk  for  the  cure  of  headache,  and,  though 
no  one  was  ever  known  to  be  so  cured,  'twas  easy 
for  the  illest  beauty  to  perceive  that  they  made  her 
complexion  appear  more  brilliant  by  contrast.  The 
poets  declared  that  Venus  herself  must  have  used 
them  and  that  they  spoke  the  language  of  love;  thus 
one  on  the  lip  meant  the  '  coquette,'  on  the  nose  the 
'  impertinent,'  on  the  cheek  the  '  gallant,'  on  the  neck 

146 


CALVERTS  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

the  '  scornful,'  near  the  eye  '  passionate,'  on  the  fore- 
head, such  as  this  one  I  wear,  sir,  the  '  majestic.' " 
As  she  spoke,  so  rapidly  and  archly  did  her  mobile 
features  express  in  their  changes  her  varying  thought 
that  Calvert  sat  entranced  at  her  piquancy  and  dar- 
ing. "  And  now,  Monsieur,  have  you  no  apology  to 
make  to  these  maligned  patches  ?  "  and  she  touched 
the  tiny  plaster  upon  her  brow. 

"  A  thousand,  Madame,"  said  Calvert,  politely, 
"  if  you  will  still  let  me  be  of  my  opinion  that  your 
beauty  needs  no  such  aid." 

"  So  you  would  prevent  my  wearing  so  innocent 
a  beautifier?  You  are  more  of  a  Quaker  than  Dr. 
Franklin  himself,  whom  I  remember  seeing  here 
often,"  said  Adrienne,  with  a  little  laugh  and  a  shrug. 
"  I  think  he  liked  all  the  ladies  and  would  have  con- 
tinued to  like  them  had  they  worn  rings  in  their 
noses !  But  as  for  you — 'tis  impossible  to  please  you. 
No  wonder  you  Americans  broke  with  the  English ! 
You  are  most  difficile.  But  I  am  sure  that  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son or  the  witty  Mr.  Morris  could  have  found  a 
handsomer  reply  than  yours,  Monsieur!  Ah,  here  he 
is  now,"  and  she  rose  as  Mr.  Morris  entered  the  room 
and  made  his  way  to  her  side. 

"  At  last  I  have  the  pleasure  of  saluting  Madame 
de  St.  Andre !  "  he  said,  very  gallantly. 

"  You  are  late,  sir.  We  had  about  given  over  see- 
ing you  this  evening.  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Calvert 
have  been  with  us  an  hour." 

"  I  envy  them  their  good  fortune,  Madame  !  But; — 
I  have  been  detained." 

147 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  What  a  lame  and  insufficient  excuse ! "  cried 
Adrienne,  laughing.  "  'Tis  no  better  than  one  of  Mon- 
sieur Calvert's  compliments !  " 

"  Ah,  Madame,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  recovering  him- 
self, "  you  must  forgive  us  and  remember  that  you 
complete  our  mental  overthrow  already  begun  by  the 
dazzling  brilliancy  of  the  gayest  capital  in  the  world 
and  the  multitude  of  attractions  it  offers.  A  man  in 
your  Paris,  Madame,  lives  in  a  sort  of  whirlwind 
which  turns  him  around  so  fast  that  he  can  see  nothing. 
'Tis  no  wonder  that  the  people  of  this  metropolis  are 
under  the  necessity  of  pronouncing  their  definitive 
judgment  from  the  first  glance,  and,  being  thus  habit- 
uated to  shoot  flying,  they  have  what  sportsmen  call 
a  quick  sight.  They  know  a  wit  by  his  snuff-box,  a 
man  of  taste  by  his  bow,  and  a  statesman  by  the  cut 
of  his  coat."  As  he  finished  speaking  there  was  a 
general  movement  at  the  card-tables,  and  Madame 
d'Azay,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  had  been 
looking  on  at  the  game  (for  he  never  played),  and 
followed  by  the  company,  entered  the  drawing-room. 

"  Ah,  Monsieur  Morris !  "  she  said,  catching  sight 
of  that  gentleman.  "  You  have  a  talent  for  being 
always  a  propos,  Monsieur!  We  have  just  finished 
our  game  and  are  ready  to  listen  to  the  latest  gossip, 
which,  I  am  sure,  you  have  heard  from  that  charming 
friend  of  yours,  Madame  de  Flahaut." 

"  The  Duchess  has  just  won  prodigiously  at  quinze 
from  the  Abbe  Delille,  who  hates  damnably  to  lose," 
whispered  Segur  to  Calvert,  "  and,  having  won,  she 
stopped  the  game  in  the  best  of  humors." 

148 


CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

"  Alas,  Madame !  "  said  Mr.  Morris,  in  answer  to 
the  Duchess,  "  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
Madame  de  Flahaut,  but  am  just  from  the  Club  de 
Valois.  As  you  can  imagine  to  yourself,  I  heard 
nothing  but  politics  at  the  Club." 

"  Unfortunately,  one  does  not  have  to  go  to  the 
club  to  hear  politics,"  replied  Madame  d'Azay,  dryly. 
"  It  has  required  all  my  authority  to  restrain  these 
gentlemen  this  evening  from  discussing  such  subjects. 
Indeed,  I  think  Monsieur  Jefferson  and  Monsieur  de 
Lafayette,  in  spite  of  my  defense,  which  I  now  re- 
move, have  had  a  political  debate,"  and  she  snapped 
her  bright  eyes  and  nodded  her  withered  old  head 
severely  at  the  two  gentlemen. 

"  Pcccavi!  "  said  the  Marquis,  bowing  low.  "  I  am 
the  culprit,  but  surely,  Madame,  you  would  not  have 
me  fail  to  listen  to  Mr.  Jefferson's  counsels  when  I  am 
so  fortunate  as  to  be  offered  them !  He  advises  me," 
continued  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  turning  to  Mr. 
Morris,  "  to  burn  my  instructions  from  the  noblesse, 
which  engage  me  absolutely  to  favor  the  vote  by 
orders  and  not  by  persons,  and,  should  this  produce 
an  irrevocable  rupture  with  my  electors,  boldly  to 
take  my  stand  with  the  tiers  etat.  I  have  seen  Necker 
to-day  and  he  is  as  far  as  ever  from  a  solution  of  this 
great  and  first  question  which  must  come  up  before 
the  States-General.  Indeed,  there  is  but  one  rational 
solution,  and  I  must  disregard  my  instructions  in  an 
endeavor  to  bring  it  about." 

"  I  would  advise  you  to  resign  your  seat !  "  said 
Mr.  Morris,  bluntly.  "  You  have  been  elected  by 

149 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

an  order  in  whose  principles  you  no  longer  believe. 
Should  you  continue  their  representative  your  con- 
science will  be  continually  at  war  with  your  duty. 
Should  you  break  away  from  your  constituency  you 
will  offer  an  example  of  insubordination  and  lawless- 
ness which  may  have  the  most  deplorable  results." 

"  I  cannot  agree  with  you,  Mr.  Morris,"  broke  in 
Mr.  Jefferson,  warmly.  "  In  the  desperate  pass  to 
which  affairs  are  already  come  in  this  nation,  desper- 
ate remedies  must  be  employed.  Shall  Monsieur  de 
Lafayette  deprive  the  tiers  etat  of  his  enthusiasm, 
his  earnest  convictions,  his  talents,  when,  by  an  act 
of  courage,  entirely  in  accord  with  his  conscience,  he 
can  become  one  of  them  and  can  lead  them  to  victory 
and  to  that  fusion  with  the  other  orders  which  is  so 
vital  to  the  usefulness,  nay,  to  the  very  life  of  the 
States-General  ?  " 

"  In  my  opinion  there  is  less  need  that  Monsieur 
de  Lafayette  should  lead  the  tiers  etat — they  will  travel 
fast  enough,  I  think,"  says  Mr.  Morris,  dryly — "  than 
that  he  should  stick  to  his  own  order,  strengthening 
in  every  way  in  his  power  this  conservative  element, 
which  is  the  safeguard  of  the  nation.  This  annihila- 
tion of  the  distinctions  of  orders  which  you  speak  of 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  last  thing  to  be  desired.  Should 
the  nobles  abandon  their  order  and  give  over  their 
privileges,  what  will  act  as  a  check  on  the  demands 
and  encroachments  of  the  commons?  How  far  such 
ultra-democratic  tendencies  may  be  right  respecting 
mankind  in  general  is,  I  think,  extremely  problematical. 
With  respect  to  this  nation  I  am  sure  it  is  wrong.  I 


CALVERTS  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

am  frank  but  I  am  sincere  when  I  say  that  I  believe 
you,  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  and  you,  Monsieur  d'Azay, 
to  be  too  republican  for  the  genius  of  this  country." 

"  Or,  Monsieur  Morris,  trop  aristocrate,"  said  the 
Marquis,  with  a  bitter  smile  on  his  disturbed  counte- 
nance, for  his  vanity,  which  was  becoming  inordinate, 
could  not  brook  unfriendly  criticism. 

"  'Tis  strange,"  said  the  Vicomte  d'Azay,  "  to  hear 
an  American  arguing  against  those  principles  which 
have  won  for  him  so  lately  his  freedom  and  his  glory ! 
As  for  me,  I  think  with  Mr.  Jefferson  and  the  Marquis, 
and,  thinking  so,  I  have  sided  with  the  people,  which 
is,  after  all,  the  nation." 

"  Yes,"  broke  in  Mr.  Jefferson  with  animation  and 
speaking  to  d'Azay,  "  you  have  found  the  vital  truth. 
'Tis  no  king,  but  the  sovereign  people,  which  is  the 
state.  It  has  been  my  firm  belief  that  with  a  great 
people,  set  in  the  path  of  civil  and  religious  liberty, 
freedom  and  power  in  their  grasp,  let  the  executive 
be  as  limited  as  may  be,  that  nation  will  still  prosper. 
A  strong  people  and  a  weak  government  make  a  great 
nation." 

"  But  who  shall  say  that  the  French  are  a  strong 
people  ? "  demands  Mr.  Morris,  impetuously,  and 
turning  to  the  company.  "  You  are  lively,  imagina- 
tive, witty,  charming,  talented,  but  not  substantial  or 
persevering.  Inconstancy  is  mingled  in  your  blood, 
marrow,  and  very  essence.  Constancy  is  the  phe- 
nomenon. The  great  mass  of  the  common  people  have 
no  religion  but  their  priests,  no  law  but  their  superiors, 
no  morals  but  their  interests.  And  how  shall  we  ex- 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

pect  a  people  to  suddenly  become  wise  and  self-gov- 
erning who  are  ignorant  of  statecraft,  who  have  ex- 
isted for  centuries  under  a  despotism?  Never  hav- 
ing felt  the  results  of  a  weak  executive,  they  do  not 
know  the  dangers  of  unlimited  power.  No  man  is 
more  republican  in  sentiment  than  I  am,  but  I  think 
it  no  less  than  a  crime  to  foist  a  republic  upon  a  peo- 
ple in  no  way  fitted  for  it,  and  all  those  who  abandon 
the  King  in  this  hour  of  danger,  who  do  not  uphold 
his  authority  to  the  fullest  extent,  are  participants  in 
that  crime  and  are  helping  to  bring  on  those  events 
which  I  fear  will  shortly  convulse  this  country." 

"  Mr.  Morris  is  no  optimist  either  in  regard  to 
French  character  or  the  progress  of  public  affairs," 
said  Lafayette,  bitingly.  "  But  I  can  assure  him 
that  if  the  French  are  inconstant,  ignorant,  and 
immoral,  they  are  also  energetic,  lively,  and  easily 
aroused  by  noble  examples.  Moreover,  the  public 
mind  has  been  instructed  lately  to  an  astonishing 
point  by  the  political  pamphlets  issued  in  such  num- 
bers, and  'tis  my  opinion  that  these  facts  will  bring 
us,  after  no  great  lapse  of  time,  to  an  adequate  repre- 
sentation and  participation  in  public  affairs,  and  that 
without  the  convulsion  which  Mr.  Morris  so  acutely 
dreads." 

The  company  listened  in  silence  with  the  intensest 
interest  to  this  animated  conversation,  the  women 
following  with  as  close  attention  as  the  men  (the 
Duchess  nodding  her  approval  of  Mr.  Morris's  opin- 
ions from  time  to  time),  and  'twas  but  a  sample  of 
the  almost  incredibly  frank  political  discussion  tak- 

152 


CALVERT'S  GOOD  INTENTIONS  MISCARRY 

ing  place  daily  in  all  the  notable  salons  of  Paris. 
As  for  Calvert,  although  he  loved  and  honored  Mr. 
Jefferson  before  all  men  and  held  him  as  all  but  infalli- 
ble, he  could  not  but  agree  with  Mr.  Morris's  views 
as  being  the  soundest  and  most  practical.  Indeed, 
from  that  day  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Morris  differed 
more  and  more  widely  in  their  political  faiths,  but 
the  nobility  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  nature,  the  admirable 
tact  of  Mr.  Morris,  and,  as  much  as  anything,  the 
common  affection  they  felt  for  Calvert,  who  would 
have  been  inexpressibly  pained  by  any  breach  between 
them,  kept  them  upon  friendly  terms. 

Mr.  Morris,  conscious  that  he  had  spoken  impetu- 
ously and  perhaps  with  too  much  warmth,  made  no 
reply  to  Monsieur  de  Lafayette's  last  words,  spoken 
with  some  animus,  and  in  a  few  minutes  made  his  way 
to  Calvert. 

"  Come  away,  my  boy,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone. 
"  Come  away !  Lafayette,  who  can  still  believe  that 
mighty  changes  will  take  place  in  this  kingdom  with- 
out a  revolution,  does  not  even  know  of  this  day's 
fearful  business  in  the  rue  St.  Antoine.  I  had  it  from 
Boursac,  who  arrived  at  the  Club  two  hours  ago  with 
both  windows  of  his  carriage  broken,  the  panels  splin- 
tered, and  his  coachman  with  a  bloody  cheek.  He 
had  tried  to  pass  through  the  faubourg,  where  two 
hundred  of  the  rabble  have  been  killed  by  Besenval's 
Swiss  Guards  at  the  house  of  a  paper  merchant,  Re- 
veillon.  The  villains  have  broke  into  his  factory,  de- 
molished everything,  drunk  his  wines,  and,  acciden- 
tally, some  poisonous  acid  used  in  his  laboratory,  of 

153 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

which  they  have  died  a  horrible  death,  and  all  because 
the  unfortunate  merchant  dared  in  the  electoral  as- 
sembly of  Ste.  Marguerite  to  advocate  reducing  the 
wages  of  his  men.  I  ordered  my  coachman  to  drive 
by  the  faubourg,  hoping  to  see  for  myself  if  the  affair 
had  not  been  greatly  exaggerated,  but  I  was  turned 
back  by  some  troops  proceeding  thither  with  two 
small  cannon.  'Twas  this  which  detained  me.  Bour- 
sac  says  'tis  known  for  certain  that  the  whole  affair 
has  been  instigated  by  the  Due  d'Orleans.  He  passed 
in  his  coach  among  the  rioters,  urging  them  on  in 
their  villany,  and  'tis  even  said  by  some  that  he  was 
seen  giving  money  to  the  mob."  And  this  is  the  man 
whom  the  King  hesitates  to  banish !  Perhaps,  after 
all,  boy,  I  did  wrong  to  counsel  Lafayette  and 
d'Azay  to  stand  by  a  King  who  is  weakness  itself 
and  who  knows  not  how  to  defend  himself  or  his 
throne !  " 


CHAPTER   X 

AT     VERSAILLES 

IT  was  just  a  week  after  Mr.  Calvert's  visit  to  the 
hotel  d'Azay  and  the  affair  of  the  rue  St.  Antoine, 
that  the  day  arrived  for  the  consummation  of  that 
great  event  toward  which  all  France,  nay,  all  Europe, 
had  been  looking  for  months  past. 

With  a  sudden  burst  and  glory  of  sunshine  and 
warm  air  the  long,  hard  winter  had  given  way  to  the 
spring  of  that  year  of  1789.  By  the  end  of  April 
the  green  grass  and  flowering  shrubs  looked  as  if  sum- 
mer had  come,  and  the  cruel  cold  of  but  a  few  weeks 
back  was  all  but  forgotten.  And  with  the  quickening 
pulse  of  nature  the  agitation  and  restless  activity 
among  all  classes  had  increased.  The  whole  kingdom 
of  France  was  astir  with  the  excitement  of  the  rapidly 
approaching  convocation  of  the  States-General.  Paris 
read  daily  in  the  columns  of  the  Moniteur  the  names 
of  the  newly  elected  deputies,  and  by  the  ist  of  May 
those  deputies  were  thronging  her  streets. 

D'Azay,  Lafayette,  Necker,  Duport,  Lameth,  and 
many  others,  who  saw  their  ardent  wishes  material- 
izing, were  quite  beside  themselves  with  delight,  and 
prophesied  the  happiest  things  for  France.  Madame 
d'Azay,  being  of  the  court  party,  held  widely  differ- 
ing views  from  those  of  her  nephew,  and  was  out  of 

155 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

all  conceit  with  this  political  ferment,  while  as  for 
Adrienne,  she  looked  upon  the  opening  of  the  States- 
General  and  the  grand  reception  of  the  King  on  the 
2d  of  May  as  splendid  pageants  merely,  to  which  she 
would  be  glad  to  lend  her  presence  and  the  lustre  of 
her  beauty.  Indeed,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  for  nearly 
every  individual  in  that  restless  kingdom  of  France 
the  States-General  held  a  different  meaning,  a  differ- 
ent hope,  a  different  fear.  Fortunate  it  was  for  all 
alike,  that  none  could  see  the  ending  of  that  terrible 
business  about  to  be  set  afoot. 

In  all  the  brilliant  weather  of  that  spring  of  1789, 
no  fairer  day  dawned  than  that  great  day  of  Monday, 
the  4th  of  May.  By  earliest  morning  the  whole  world 
of  Paris  seemed  to  be  taking  its  way  to  Versailles. 
Mr.  Jefferson,  having  presented  Calvert  with  the  bil- 
let reserved  for  Mr.  Short  (the  secretary  being  ab- 
sent at  The  Hague),  and  Mr.  Morris  being  provided 
for  through  the  courtesy  of  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans, 
the  three  gentlemen  left  the  Legation  at  six  in  the 
morning  in  Mr.  Jefferson's  coach.  The  grand  route 
to  Versailles  was  thronged  with  carriages  and  vehicles 
of  every  description,  and  the  dust,  heat,  and  confusion 
were  indescribable.  On  their  arrival,  which  was  about 
eight  o'clock,  being  hungry  and  thirsty,  the  gentle- 
men repaired  to  a  cafe,  where  they  had  an  indif- 
ferent breakfast  at  a  table  d'hote,  about  which  were 
seated  several  gloomy-looking  members  of  the  tiers. 
After  the  hasty  meal  they  made  their  way  as  quickly 
as  possible  to  the  hotel  of  Madame  de  Tesse  in  the  rue 
Dauphine,  where  they  were  awaited. 

156 


AT  VERSAILLES 

Madame  de  Tesse,  Monsieur  de  Lafayette's  aunt, 
was,  as  Mr.  Morris  laughingly  styled  her,  "  a  republi- 
can of  the  first  feather,"  and  it  was  with  the  most 
enthusiastic  pleasure  that  she  welcomed  the  Ambas- 
sador from  the  United  States  and  his  two  friends  on 
that  day  which  she  believed  held  such  happy  auguries 
for  the  future  of  her  country.  A  numerous  company 
had  already  assembled  at  her  invitation  and  were 
viewing  the  ever-increasing  crowds  in  the  streets  from 
the  great  stone  balcony  draped  with  silken  banners 
and  rich  velvet  hangings.  The  British  Ambassador 
and  the  Ambassadress,  Lady  Sutherland  (whom  Cal- 
vert  had  the  honor  of  meeting  for  the  first  time),  were 
there,  as  was  Madame  de  Montmorin,  Madame  de 
Stael,  and  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  looking  radiant 
in  the  brilliant  morning  sunshine.  As  Mr.  Calvert 
bent  over  her  hand  he  thought  to  himself  that  she 
might  have  sat  for  a  portrait  of  Aurora's  self,  so 
fresh  and  beautiful  did  she  look.  The  sun  struck  her 
dark  hair  (over  which  she  wore  no  covering)  to 
burnished  brightness,  the  violet  eyes  sparkled  with 
animation,  and  her  complexion  had  the  freshness  and 
delicacy  of  some  exquisite  flower. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  here,  Monsieur  I'Americain,  on 
this  great  day  for  France,  one  of  the  most  momentous, 
one  of  the  happiest  in  all  her  history.  You  see  I  have 
not  forgotten  your  fondness  for  history ! "  and  she 
shot  him  an  amused  glance. 

"  I  am  glad,  too,  Madame,"  replied  Calvert,  seating 
himself  beside  her.  "  'Tis  one  of  the  most  momentous 
days  in  France's  history,  as  you  say,  but  one  of  the 

157 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

happiest  ? — I  don't  know,"  and  he  looked  dubiously  at 
the  thronged  streets,  for  he  was  of  Mr.  Morris's  way 
of  thinking,  and,  try  as  he  might,  he  could  not  bring 
himself  to  look  upon  the  course  of  affairs  with  the 
optimism  Mr.  Jefferson  felt. 

"  Are  you  going  to  be  gloomy  on  this  beautiful 
day  ?  "  demanded  Adrienne,  impatiently.  "  Aren't  the 
very  heavens  giving  us  a  sign  that  they  approve  of 
this  event  ?  Mr.  Jefferson  is  the  only  one  of  you  who 
appreciates  this  great  occasion — even  Mr.  Morris,  who 
is  usually  so  agreeable,  seems  to  be  out  of  spirits," 
and  she  glanced  toward  that  gentleman  where  he 
sat  between  Madame  de  Montmorin  and  Madame  de 
Flahaut,  who  had  just  arrived  with  Beaufort.  Mr. 
Morris,  hearing  his  name  spoken,  arose  and  went  over 
to  Madame  de  St.  Andre. 

"  Are  you  saying  evil  things  about  me  to  Mr.  Cal- 
vert,  my  dear  young  lady  ?  "  he  asked,  bowing  with 
that  charming  show  of  deference  which  he  always 
paid  a  pretty  woman  and  which  in  part  atoned  for  the 
cynical  expression  in  his  keen  eyes. 

"  But  yes,"  returned  Adrienne,  laughing.  "  I  was 
saying  that  you  wore  a  displeased  air  almost  as  if 
you  envied  France  her  good  fortune  of  to-day ! " 

"  You  mistake  me,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  warmly. 
"  I  have  France's  interest  and  happiness  greatly  at 
heart.  The  generous  wish  which  a  free  people  must 
form  to  disseminate  freedom,  the  grateful  emotion 
which  rejoices  in  the  happiness  of  a  benefactor, 
and  a  strong  personal  interest  as  well  in  the  liberty 
as  in  the  power  of  this  country,  all  conspire  to  make 

158  ' 


AT  VERSAILLES 

us  far  from  indifferent  spectators,"  and  he  glanced 
at  Calvert  as  though  certain  of  having  expressed  the 
young  man's  sentiments  as  well  as  his  own.  "  The 
leaders  here  are  our  friends,  many  of  them  have 
imbibed  their  principles  in  America,  and  all  have  been 
fired  by  our  example.  If  I  wear  an  anxious  air  'tis 
because  I  am  not  sure  that  that  example  can  be  safely 
imitated  in  this  country,  that  those  principles  can  be 
safely  inculcated  here,  that  this  people,  once  having 
thrown  off  the  yoke  of  absolute  dependence  on  and 
obedience  to  kingly  power,  will  not  confound  license 
with  liberty.  But  enough  of  this,"  he  said,  smiling. 
"  May  I  ask  why  the  Duchess  is  not  of  the  com- 
pany ?  " 

"  Because  she  is  even  more  pessimistic  about  the 
results  of  to-day's  work  than  yourself,  Mr.  Morris,  and 
has  shut  herself  up  in  Paris,  refusing  to  be  present 
at  the  opening  of  the  States-General  even  as  a  specta- 
tor. She  portends  all  sorts  of  disasters  to  France, 
but  for  the  life  of  me  I  can't  see  what  can  happen 
without  the  King's  authority,  and  surely  so  good  a 
king  will  let  no  harm  happen  to  his  country.  As 
for  myself,  I  could  bless  the  States-General  for  hav- 
ing furnished  so  gala  an  occasion !  Paris  has  been 
deadly  stupid  for  months  with  all  this  talk  of  politics 
and  elections  and  constitutions  going  on.  I  am  glad 
it  is  all  over  and  we  have  reached  the  beginning  of 
the  end.  Is  it  not  a  magnificent  spectacle  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Tis  so,  truly,"  assented  Mr.  Morris,  with  a  curi- 
ous smile,  and  leaning  over  the  balustrade  to  get  a 
better  view  of  the  street. 

159 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Versailles  was  indeed  resplendent  on  that  beautiful 
morning  of  the  4th  of  May,  in  honor  of  the  proces- 
sion and  religious  services  to  be  held  as  a  sort  of 
prelude  to  the  formal  opening  of  the  States-General 
the  following  day.  From  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  to 
the  Church  of  Saint  Louis,  where  M.  de  la  Farre, 
Archeveque  of  Nancy,  was  to  celebrate  mass,  the 
streets  through  which  the  procession  was  to  pass  were 
one  mass  of  silken  banners  and  the  richest  stuffs  de- 
pending from  every  window,  every  balcony.  Crown 
tapestries  lined  the  way  in  double  row,  and  flowers 
in  profusion  were  strewn  along  the  streets.  Vast 
throngs  surged  backward  and  forward,  held  in  check 
by  the  soldiers  of  the  splendid  Maison  du  Roi  and 
the  Swiss  troops,  while  every  balcony,  every  window, 
every  roof-top,  every  possible  place  of  vantage  was 
filled  to  overflowing  with  eager  spectators.  As  the 
morning  sun  struck  upon  the  magnificent  decorations, 
on  the  ladies  and  cavaliers,  as  brilliantly  arrayed  as 
though  for  the  opera  or  ball,  on  the  gorgeous  uni- 
forms of  the  Guards,  the  scene  was  one  of  indescrib- 
able splendor  and  color. 

A  sudden  silence  fell  upon  the  vast  concourse  of 
people  as  Mr.  Morris  leaned  over  the  balcony,  and  in 
an  instant  the  head  of  the  procession  came  into  view. 
In  front  were  borne  the  banners  of  the  Church  of  Our 
Lady  and  Saint  Louis,  followed  by  the  parish  clergy, 
and  then  in  two  close  ranks  walked  the  five  hundred 
deputies  of  the  tiers  etat  in  their  sombre  black  gar- 
ments and  three-cornered  hats.  The  silence  which 
had  so  suddenly  descended  upon  the  great  company 

160 


AT   VERSAILLES 

was  as  suddenly  broken  at  sight  of  the  tiers,  and  a 
deafening  shout  saluted  them.  This,  in  turn,  was 
quelled,  and  a  curious  quiet  reigned  again  as  the 
deputies  from  the  nobles  made  their  appearance  in 
their  rich  dress,  with  cloak  gold-faced,  white  silk 
stockings,  and  beplumed  hat. 

"  You  would  have  to  walk  with  the  tiers  were  you 
of  the  procession,  Monsieur  Calvert,"  said  Madame 
de  St.  Andre,  mischievously,  glancing  from  the  young 
man's  sober  habit  to  the  brilliant  dress  of  the  nobles 
as  they  filed  past. 

"  Surely !  I  would  be  a  very  raven  among  those 
splendid  birds  of  paradise,"  said  the  young  man,  a 
trifle  scornfully. 

"  They  are  very  great  gentlemen,"  returned 
Adrienne,  tossing  her  head.  "  See,  there  is  Mon- 
sieur le  Due  d'Orleans  himself  leading  the  noblesse," 
and  she  courtesied  low,  as  did  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany, when  he  looked  toward  the  balcony  and  bowed. 

So  that  was  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Orleans,  the  King's 
cousin,  the  King's  enemy,  as  many  already  knew,  the 
wildest,  the  most  dissolute  of  all  the  wild,  dissolute 
youth  of  Paris,  the  boon  companion  of  the  Duke  of 
York,  the  destroyer  of  the  unfortunate  Prince  de 
Lamballes,  the  hero  of  a  thousand  chroniques  scanda- 
leuses  of  the  day !  As  for  Calvert,  he  thought  that  in 
spite  of  the  splendid  appearance  of  the  royal  person- 
age he  had  never  seen  a  human  countenance  so  repul- 
sive and  so  depraved.  The  brutal,  languid  eye  looked 
out  at  him  from  a  face  whose  unwholesome  complexion, 
heavy  jaw,  and  sensual  mouth  sent  a  thrill  of  sickening 

161 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

disgust  through  him.  As  he  gazed  at  the  retreating 
figure  of  the  Duke,  which,  in  its  heaviness  and  leth- 
argy, bore  the  mark  of  excesses  as  unmistakably  as 
did  the  coarsened  face,  all  the  disgraceful  stories,  the 
rumors,  the  anecdotes  which  he  had  ever  heard  con- 
cerning this  dissipated  young  prince — for  his  repu- 
tation was  only  too  well  known  even  in  America — 
flashed  through  his  mind. 

"  And  this  is  one  of  your  great  gentlemen  ?  "  asked 
Calvert,  looking,  not  without  some  sadness,  at  the 
haughty  beauty  beside  him,  still  flushed  and  smiling 
at  the  notice  bestowed  upon  her  by  Monsieur  d'Or- 
leans. 

"  His  Highness  the  Due  d'Orleans  is  one  of  the 
greatest  personages  in  the  kingdom,  sir!  Tis  said, 
perhaps,  that  he  has  been  guilty  of  some  indiscre- 
tions " — she  hesitated,  biting  her  lip,  and  coloring 
slightly  beneath  Calvert's  calm  gaze — "  but  surely 
something  must  be  pardoned  to  one  of  his  exalted 
rank;  to  one  who  is  incapable  of  any  cowardice,  of 
any  baseness." 

"  Since  he  is  of  such  exalted  rank,  it  seems  strange, 
Madame,  that  he  should  walk  so  far  ahead  of  his 
order  as  almost  to  seem  to  mingle  with  the  tiers," 
replied  Calvert,  quietly.  "  But  I  am  glad  to  have  such 
a  good  report  of  the  Duke,  as  there  are  those  who  have 
been  mistaken  enough  to  doubt  his  bravery  at  Oues- 
sant,  and,  merely  to  look  at  him,  I  confess  that  I  saw 
many  a  humble  deputy  of  the  tiers  who  looked,  even 
in  his  plebeian  dress,  more  the  nobleman  than  he." 

"Ah,  Monsieur,"  returned  Madame  de  St.  Andre, 
162 


AT  VERSAILLES 

contemptuously,  "  I  see  that  you  are  indeed  a  republi- 
can enrage  and  hate  us  for  our  fine  feathers  and  rank 
of  birth  as  cordially  as  these  people  who  applaud  the 
tiers  and  remain  silent  before  the  deputies  of  the 
nobles." 

"  Indeed,  you  misjudge  me,  Madame,"  says  Calvert, 
who  could  scarce  restrain  a  smile  at  the  lofty  manner 
of  the  beautiful  girl,  "  as  you  misjudge  the  crowd,  for 
'tis  applauding  someone  among  the  noblesse  now," 
and  he  stood  up  and  looked  over  the  balcony  rail  to 
better  see  the  cause  of  the  shout  which  had  suddenly 
gone  up.  "  'Tis  for  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  I  think. 
See,  he  is  walking  yonder,  with  d'Azay  on  one  side 
of  him  and  Noailles  on  the  other." 

Adrienne  leaned  over  the  balustrade,  and  looked 
down  at  her  brother  and  Monsieur  de  Lafayette,  who 
saw  her  at  the  same  instant.  Smiling  and  bowing, 
she  flung  a  handful  of  roses,  which  she  had  carried 
all  morning,  at  the  gentlemen,  who  uncovered  and 
waved  her  their  thanks.  As  they  did  so,  a  sudden 
blare  of  trumpets  and  strains  of  martial  music  burst 
forth,  and  the  black-robed  deputies  of  the  clergy 
appeared,  separated  into  two  files  by  the  band  of  royal 
musicians. 

"  'Tis  like  a  play,  n'est  ce  pas  ?  "  said  Adrienne, 
gayly,  to  Mr.  Morris,  who  had  again  come  up,  having 
been  dismissed  by  Madame  de  Flahaut  on  the  arrival 
of  Monsieur  de  Curt. 

"  No,  'tis  but  the  prologue,"  corrected  Mr.  Morris, 
"  and  the  play  itself  is  like  enough  to  be  a  tragedy,  I 
think,"  he  added,  in  a  low  voice,  to  Calvert. 

163 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

"  And  here  are  the  King  and  Queen  at  last,"  cried 
Madame  de  St.  Andre,  as  a  great  cheering  went  up. 
Every  eye  in  that  vast  throng  was  riveted  upon  the 
King,  who  now  appeared,  preceded  by  the  Archbishop 
of  Paris  carrying  the  Holy  Sacrament  under  a  great 
canopy,  the  four  corners  of  which  were  held  by  the 
Dukes  of  Angouleme  and  Berry  and  the  King's  two 
brothers,  Monsieur  and  the  Comte  d'Artois.  Near  the 
Holy  Sacrament  marched  the  cardinals,  bishops,  and 
archbishops  elected  to  the  States-General,  and  in  the 
throng  Calvert  quickly  and  easily  detected  by  his 
halting  step  his  acquaintance,  the  Bishop  of  Autun. 
About  His  Majesty  walked  the  high  officers  of  the 
crown,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  Madame  de  Stael, 
which  had  been  on  the  increase  every  instant,  reached 
a  climax  when  she  recognized  Monsieur  Necker,  con- 
spicuous by  his  size  and  bearing,  among  the  entourage 
of  Louis,  and,  when  she  courtesied,  the  obeisance 
seemed  intended  more  for  her  father  than  her  King. 

"  You  are  wrong  to  rejoice  so  greatly,"  said 
Madame  de  Montmorin,  laying  a  timid  hand  on 
Madame  de  StaeTs  arm,  which  trembled  with  excite- 
ment. She  had  scarce  said  a  word  the  whole  morning 
and  had  sat  staring  with  troubled  face  at  the  magnifi- 
cent pageant  as  it  passed.  "  I  feel  sure  that  great 
disasters  to  France  will  follow  this  day's  business." 

Madame  de  Stael  impatiently  shook  off  the  detaining 
hand.  "  Tis  the  day  of  days,"  she  cried,  enthusiasti- 
cally, "  the  day  for  which  my  father  has  labored  so 
long,  the  day  on  which  will  be  written  the  brightest 
page  of  French  history." 

164 


AT   VERSAILLES 

"  I  verily  believe  she  thinks  the  States-General  are 
come  together  to  the  sole  honor  and  glorification  of 
Monsieur  Necker,"  whispered  Mr.  Morris,  in  an 
amused  undertone,  to  Calvert.  "  But  look  yonder,  to 
the  right  of  the  King!  There  go  our  friends  of  the 
Palais  Royal,  the  young  Due  de  Chartres  and  Mon- 
sieur de  Beaujolais !  Tis  strange  the  Due  d'Orleans 
is  not  near  the  King.  He  curries  favor  with  the  mul- 
titude by  abandoning  his  sovereign  on  this  crucial  day 
and  putting  himself  forward  as  an  elected  deputy  of 
the  States-General !  And  there  to  the  left  of  His 
Majesty  is  the  Queen  with  the  princesses.  Is  she  not 
beautiful,  Ned? — though  Beaufort  tells  me  she  has 
lost  much  of  the  brilliancy  of  her  beauty  in  the  last 
year.  Indeed,  she  has  an  almost  melancholy  air,  but 
I  think  it  is  becoming,  for  otherwise  she  would  be  too 
haughty-looking." 

"  She  has  reason  to  look  melancholy,  Monsieur," 
said  Madame  de  Montmorin,  in  a  low  tone,  and  with 
a  glance  of  deep  sympathy  at  the  Queen,  who  sat 
rigid,  palely  smiling  in  her  golden  coach.  "  Did  you 
not  know  that  the  Dauphin  is  very  ill?  'Tis  little 
talked  about  at  court,  for  the  Queen  will  not  have  the 
subject  mentioned,  but  he  has  been  ailing  for  a  year 
past." 

As  she  spoke,  the  carriage  of  the  Queen  passed 
close  under  the  balcony,  and  at  that  instant  a  woman 
in  the  crowd,  looking  Her  Majesty  full  in  the  face, 
cried  out,  shrilly,  "  Long  live  d'Orleans !  "  The  pallid 
Queen  sank  back,  as  though  struck,  into  the  arms  of 
the  Princess  de  Lamballes,  who  rode  beside  her.  But 

165 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

in  an  instant  she  was  herself  again,  and  sat  haughtily 
erect,  with  a  bitter  smile  curving  her  beautiful  lips. 

"  A  cruel  blow !  "  said  Mr.  Morris,  under  his  breath, 
to  Calvert.  "  Her  unhappiness  was  complete  enough 
without  that.  Arrayed  in  those  rich  stuffs,  with  the 
flowers  in  her  hair  and  bosom  and  with  that  inscruta- 
ble and  melancholy  expression  on  her  beautiful  face, 
she  looks  as  might  have  looked  some  Athenian  maiden 
decked  for  sacrifice.  Indeed,  all  the  noblesse  have  a 
curious  air  of  fatality  about  them,  or  so  it  seems  to 
me,  and  somehow  look  as  if  they  were  going  to  their 
doom.  Take  a  good  look  at  this  splendid  pageant, 
Ned!  Tis  the  first  time  you  have  seen  royalty,  the 
first  time  you  have  seen  the  nobility  in  all  the  mag- 
nificence of  ceremony.  It  may  be  the  last." 

Mr.  Jefferson  got  up  from  his  place  beside  Madame 
de  Tesse  and  came  over  to  where  Calvert  and  Mr. 
Morris  were  standing. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  the  King  and  Queen  ?  "  he 
asked,  in  a  low  voice,  laying  his  hand,  in  his  customary 
affectionate  manner,  on  Calvert's  shoulder.  ''  The 
King  has  a  benevolent,  open  countenance,  do  you  not 
think  so? — but  the  Queen  has  a  haughty,  wayward 
look,  and  the  imperious,  unyielding  spirit  of  her 
Austrian  mother." 

"  She  will  need  all  the  spirit  of  her  whole  family," 
broke  in  Mr.  Morris,  warmly,  "  if  she  is  to  bear  up 
beneath  such  wanton  insults  as  that  just  offered  her." 

"  I  fear  that  the  hand  of  Heaven  will  weigh  heavily 
on  that  selfish,  proud,  capricious  sovereign,  and  that 
she  will  have  to  suffer  many  humiliations,"  replied  Mr. 

166 


AT  VERSAILLES 

Jefferson,  coldly,  for  he  disliked  and  distrusted  Marie 
Antoinette  profoundly,  and  always  believed  that  she 
was  largely  responsible  for  the  terrible  disasters  which 
overtook  France,  and  that  had  Louis  been  free  of 
her  influence  and  machinations,  he  had  been  able  to 
disentangle  himself  and  his  kingdom  from  the  fatal 
coil  into  which  they  were  drawn. 

"  As  for  myself,  I  can  think  only  that  she  is  a 
woman  and  in  distress,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  looking 
after  the  Queen's  coach,  which  rolled  slowly  through 
the  crowded  street,  making  a  glittering  track  of  light 
where  the  noonday  sun  (for  'twas  past  twelve  o'clock 
by  that  time)  struck  the  golden  panels.  It  was  fol- 
lowed on  one  side  by  a  long  line  of  carriages  containing 
the  princesses  of  the  blood  royal  and  the  ladies-in- 
waiting  to  Her  Majesty,  on  the  other  by  the  procession 
of  princes,  dukes,  and  gentlemen  of  the  King's  house- 
hold. It  was  close  on  one  o'clock  when  the  last  gilded 
coach,  the  last  splendid  rider,  followed  by  the  rabble, 
who  closed  in  and  pushed  on  behind  to  the  Church 
of  Saint  Louis,  had  passed  beneath  Madame  de  Tesse's 
balcony.  Some  of  her  guests,  having  billets  for  the 
church  reserved  for  them,  entered  their  carriages  and 
drove  thither;  the  others,  being  weary  with  the  long 
wait  and  excitement  of  the  morning,  accepted  their 
hostess's  invitation  to  breakfast,  content  to  hear  later 
of  the  celebration  of  mass  in  the  Church  of  Saint 
Louis.  Mr.  Jefferson,  Mr.  Morris,  and  Calvert  were 
of  this  party,  and,  after  having  promised  to  be  at 
Versailles  early  the  next  morning  and  to  stay  for  the 
night  at  Madame  de  Tesse's  so  as  to  accompany  the 

167 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

ladies  to  the  King's  reception,  they  set  off  for  Paris 
toward  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  As  they  were 
about  leaving,  Beaufort,  who  had  attended  mass, 
came  in,  tired  and  gloomy-looking,  and  told  them 
that  Monseigneur  de  la  Farre  had  preached  a  politi- 
cal sermon  which  the  deputies  had  the  bad  taste  and 
hardihood  to  applaud  in  church  and  in  the  presence 
of  His  Majesty. 

"How  dare  they  so  insult  the  King?"  said 
Madame  de  St.  Andre,  pale  with  anger,  to  Calvert, 
who  had  come  up  to  bid  her  adieu.  "  By  the  way, 
Mr.  Jefferson  tells  me  he  is  to  present  you  to  their 
Majesties  to-morrow  evening,"  she  went  on,  recov- 
ering her  composure  and  smiling  somewhat.  "  I 
should  like  to  see  how  an  American  salutes  a  king." 

"  Madame,"  said  Mr.  Calvert,  quietly,  "  you  forget 
that  I  have  made  my  bow  to  General  Washington." 

It  was  not  much  past  six  o'clock  the  next  morning 
when  Mr.  Calvert  and  Mr.  Jefferson  called,  in  the 
latter's  carriage,  for  Mr.  Morris  in  the  rue  de  Riche- 
lieu, and  once  more  set  out  for  Versailles.  As  on  the 
preceding  day,  the  road  was  thronged  with  coaches, 
all  making  their  way  to  the  temporary  capital. 
Madame  de  Flahaut  (to  whom  Mr.  Morris  bowed 
very  low,  though  he  looked  a  little  piqued  when  he 
saw  Monsieur  de  Curt  beside  her)  flashed  by  in  her 
carriage  as  they  neared  Versailles,  and  a  little  later 
Madame  de  St.  Andre,  accompanied  by  Madame  de 
Chastellux  and  Beaufort  passed  them,  bowing  and 
waving  to  the  three  gentlemen. 

"  If  it  were  possible,  I  should  say  she  looks  more 
168 


AT   VERSAILLES 

beautiful  to-day  than  yesterday,  eh,  Ned  ?  "  said  Mr. 
Morris,  looking  after  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  and  then 
giving  Calvert  a  quizzical  glance,  under  which  the 
young  man  blushed  hotly. 

"  By  the  way,  I  overheard  your  parting  conver- 
sation yesterday,  and  I  think  you  rather  got  the  best 
of  the  haughty  beauty,"  he  went  on,  laughing.  "  I 
am  not  sure  but  that  the  unruffled  serenity  of  your 
manner  before  the  ladies  advances  you  more  in  their 
estimation  than  does  Mr.  Jefferson's  evident  devotion 
to  them  all  or  my  impartial  compliments  and  gallantry. 
But  beware !  Madame  de  St.  Andre  is  no  woman  if 
she  does  not  try  to  retaliate  for  that  retort  of  yours." 

After  stopping  in  the  rue  Dauphine  for  the  billets, 
which  Madame  de  Tesse  had  again  been  able  to  obtain 
for  Mr.  Morris  through  the  interest  of  the  Duchesse 
d'Orleans,  the  three  gentlemen  drove  straight  to  the 
Salle  des  Menus  Plaisirs,  and,  by  nine  o'clock,  were 
seated  in  the  great  gallery  reserved  for  visitors.  They 
were  fortunate  enough  to  find  themselves  placed 
immediately  behind  Madame  de  Chastellux,  Madame 
de  St.  Andre,  and  Madame  de  Flahaut,  who  had  en- 
tered together  and  who  were  kind  enough  to  point 
out  for  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  many 
of  the  celebrities  in  the  glittering  assemblage.  For, 
early  as  the  hour  was,  the  great  balcony  was  already 
crowded,  while  the  floor  was  slowly  filling  with  the 
deputies  ushered  in  one  after  the  other  by  Monsieur 
de  Breze  with  the  greatest  ceremony.  No  more 
brilliant  throng  had  ever  come  together  in  that  spacious 
Salle  des  Menus  Plaisirs,  and  assuredly  on  no  more 

169 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

momentous  occasion.  As  Mr.  Calvert  looked  about 
him  at  the  splendid  scene,  at  the  great  semicircular 
hall,  with  its  Ionic  columns,  at  the  balcony  crowded 
with  thousands  of  magnificently  dressed  courtiers  and 
beautiful  women,  upon  whose  fair,  painted  faces  and 
powdered  hair  the  morning  sun  shone  discreetly,  its 
bright  rays  sifted  through  a  silken  awning  covering 
the  dome  of  the  great  room,  at  the  throng  of  deputies 
sharply  differentiated  by  position  and  costume,  at  the 
empty  throne  set  high  above  the  tribune  upon  its  dais 
of  purple  velvet  strewn  with  the  golden  lilies  of  the 
Bourbons ;  as  Mr.  Calvert  looked  at  all  this — especially 
as  he  looked  at  the  empty  throne — a  curious  presenti- 
ment of  the  awful  import  of  the  occasion  struck  in 
upon  him  forcibly.  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  sat  beside 
him,  seemed  to  read  his  thought. 

"  I  think  this  is  like  to  live  as  one  of  the  most 
famous  scenes  in  history,"  he  said.  "  We  three  are 
fortunate  to  be  here  to  see  it.  'Tis  the  birth-hour 
of  a  new  nation,  if  I  mistake  not.  For  the  first  time 
in  two  centuries  the  King  meets  the  three  orders  of 
his  subjects.  Who  can  foresee  what  will  be  the 
result  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  King  does  not 
foresee  the  result,  or  there  would  be  no  meeting," 
said  Mr.  Morris,  dryly. 

"  As  pessimistic  as  ever,  my  dear  sir !  "  retorted  Mr. 
Jefferson,  somewhat  testily.  "  Ah,  here  comes  Mon- 
sieur Necker." 

As  the  Minister  of  Finance  made  his  way  in,  pre- 
ceded by  Monsieur  de  Breze,  a  loud  cheer  went  up 

170 


AT  VERSAILLES 

from  every  part  of  the  hall.  Even  the  sombre  mass  of 
the  tiers  roused  themselves  to  enthusiasm,  which  was 
redoubled  when  Monsieur  le  Due  d'Orleans  made 
his  appearance  with  the  clerical  deputy  from  Crepy- 
en-Valois,  who,  he  insisted,  should  enter  before  him. 
:  'Tis  like  His  Highness,"  whispered  Mr.  Morris 
to  Calvert.  "  He  is  as  thirsty  for  popularity  as  La- 
fayette himself." 

Though  he  spoke  in  a  low  tone  and  in  English, 
Madame  de  St.  Andre  overheard  and  understood 
him. 

"  You  and  Mr.  Calvert  seem  to  be  in  a  conspiracy 
to  malign  His  Royal  Highness,"  she  said,  turning 
around. 

"  No,  no.  If  there  is  a  conspirator  in  the  case  'tis 
Monsieur  d'Orleans  himself,"  replied  Mr.  Morris, 
meaningly.  To  this  Madame  de  St.  Andre  deigned 
no  reply,  and,  shrugging  her  beautiful  shoulders, 
turned  her  back  once  more  to  the  gentlemen  and  her 
attention  to  the  assemblage.  Mr.  Calvert,  who  sat 
directly  behind  her,  could  only  see  the  pink  ear  and 
outline  of  the  fair,  displeased  face  thus  turned  away, 
but  he  thought  she  looked  more  imperiously  lovely 
and  more  distant  than  the  painted  goddesses  of  the 
Olympian  hierarchy  who  disported  themselves,  after 
the  artist's  fancy,  upon  the  great  dome  of  the  hall. 

"  Madame,"  he  said,  leaning  over  the  back  of 
Madame  de  Chastellux's  chair,  "  can  you  tell  me  who  is 
that  deputy  of  the  tiers  just  making  his  way  in?  'Tis 
the  strangest  and  most  terrible  face  I  have  ever  seen," 
and  he  looked  hard  at  the  seamed,  scarred  visage,  at 

171 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

the  gloomy  eyes,  shining  darkly  in  their  great  sockets, 
at  the  immense,  burly  figure  of  the  man  who  was 
forcing  his  way  contemptuously  past  the  gallant 
Monsieur  de  Breze  to  a  seat  among  the  commoners. 
As  he  looked,  he  was  reminded  in  some  fashion  of 
the  man  Danton  whom  he  had  seen  in  the  Cafe  de 
1'Ecole  the  afternoon  he  had  gone  thither  with  Beau- 
fort. 

"  It  is  Monsieur  de  Mirabeau,"  said  Madame  de 
Chastellux.  "  There  is  something  terrible  in  his  face, 
as  you  say,  but  there  is  genius,  also,  I  think,"  she 
added. 

"  He  has  many  talents  and  every  vice,  Madame," 
said  Mr.  Jefferson,  coldly.  "  A  genius  if  you  will, 
but  a  man  without  honor,  without  probity,  erratic, 
unscrupulous,  mercenary,  passionate.  Cupidus  alicni 
prodigus  sui.  Great  as  are  his  parts,  he  will  never 
be  able  to  serve  his  country,  for  no  dependence  can 
be  placed  in  him.  He  cannot  even  further  his  own 
interests,  for  he  is  his  own  worst  enemy.  No  associa- 
tion with  such  a  character  can  be  either  profitable 
or  permanent.  Listen !  he  is  being  hissed !  "  It  was 
true.  A  faint  but  perfectly  audible  murmur  of  dis- 
approbation went  up  as  Mirabeau  took  his  place  among 
the  deputies.  As  the  sound  struck  on  his  ear,  he 
turned  upon  the  throng  like  a  lion  at  bay  and  glanced 
about  him  with  eyes  which  literally  seemed  to  shoot 
fire  and  before  which  all  sounds  of  hatred  trembled 
back  into  silence. 

With  conversation,  with  speculations  as  to  whether 
the  great  question  of  voting  par  ordre  or  par  tete 

172 


AT  VERSAILLES 

would  be  settled  by  Monsieur  Necker  in  his  speech, 
what  policy  the  King  would  follow,  and  with  prome- 
nades in  the  great  semicircular  corridor  running 
around  the  balcony,  did  the  vast  crowd  while  away 
the  seemingly  interminable  wait  before  the  court 
appeared.  It  was  one  o'clock  when  the  heralds-at- 
arms,  amid  a  profound  silence,  announced  the  approach 
of  the  King  and  Queen.  As  His  Majesty  made  his 
appearance  at  the  door,  the  silence  was  broken  by 
tumultuous  cries  of  "  Long  live  the  King!  "  Remem- 
bering that  day  and  those  prolonged  demonstrations 
of  loyalty  and  affection  to  His  Majesty,  Mr.  Calvert 
always  considered  it  the  wonderfullest  change  his 
life  ever  saw  when,  six  months  later,  he  was  a  witness 
to  the  sullen  animosity  and  insolence  of  the  crowd 
toward  its  sovereign. 

When  the  King  had  ascended  the  throne  and 
seated  himself  (the  princes  of  the  blood  royal  who 
followed  His  Majesty  being  ranged  upon  the  steps 
of  the  dais  to  his  right  and  his  ministers  below  and 
in  front),  there  was  another  call  from  the  heralds- 
at-arms,  and  Marie  Antoinette,  beautiful,  pallid,  and 
haughty-looking,  appeared  at  the  entrance,  accom- 
panied by  the  Princess  Royal  and  the  members  of  her 
immediate  household.  Amid  a  silence  unbroken  by 
a  single  acclamation  the  Queen  took  her  seat  on  the 
King's  left  and  two  steps  below  him. 

"  Is  there  no  Frenchman  here  who  will  raise  his 
voice  in  greeting  to  his  Queen  ?  "  said  Mr.  Morris, 
very  audibly.  But  though  many  hear  him,  not  a 
sound  is  made,  and  at  the  cruel  silence  the  Queen,  her 

173 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

haughtiness  giving  way  for  a  moment,  as  it  had  the 
day  before,  wept. 

"  I  could  never  bear  to  see  beauty  in  distress.  If 
I  were  a  subject  of  the  Queen  she  should  have  one 
loyal  servitor,  at  least,  to  wish  her  well,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  warmly,  to  Calvert. 

The  scene  which,  before  the  entrance  of  the  royal 
party,  had  lacked  its  crowning  touch,  was  now  brill- 
iant beyond  description.  To  the  right  of  the  throne 
were  ranged  the  princes  of  the  Church,  hardly  less 
resplendent  in  their  robes  than  the  secular  nobles 
facing  them,  while  between,  forming  a  perfect  foil 
for  this  glowing  mass  of  color  and  jewels,  a  sombre 
spot  in  the  brilliant  assemblage,  the  tiers  sat  facing 
their  sovereign.  It  was  ominous — or  so  it  seemed 
to  Mr.  Calvert — that  the  tiers  should  thus  divide 
the  two  orders  naturally  most  closely  allied,  and  should 
sit  as  if  in  opposition  or  menace  over  against  their 
King.  And  it  was  to  them  that  the  King  seemed  to 
speak  or  rather  to  read  his  address,  which  had  been 
carefully  prepared  for  him  and  was  intentionally  so 
vague  that  it  aroused  but  little  enthusiasm ;  to  them 
that  Monsieur  le  Garde  des  Sceaux  appealed  without 
great  effect ;  and  it  was,  above  all,  to  the  tiers  that 
Monsieur  Necker,  rising,  addressed  himself,  receiving 
in  turn  their  warmest  plaudits. 

So  long  and  so  frequently  interrupted  by  applause 
was  Necker's  report  that  it  was  after  four  o'clock 
when  the  King  rose  to  dismiss  the  Assembly.  As 
he  descended  the  steps  the  Queen  came  forward 
to  his  side,  and,  for  the  first  time,  a  faint  "  Vive  la 

174 


AT  VERSAILLES 

Reine !  "  was  heard.  At  the  sound  a  quick  blush  of 
pleasure  showed  in  her  pallid  cheeks  and  she  cour- 
tesied  low  to  the  throng-  with  such  divine  grace  that 
the  acclamations  redoubled.  To  this  the  Queen 
courtesied  yet  lower,  and,  amid  a  very  thunder  of  ap- 
plause, the  royal  party  left  the  hall,  followed  by  the 
deputies  and  the  struggling  throng  of  visitors. 

Fatigued  by  the  long  seance,  the  excitement,  and 
the  tediousness  of  Monsieur  Necker's  report,  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson hurried  Mr.  Calvert — Mr.  Morris  had  been 
carried  off  by  Madame  de  Flahaut,  to  the  great 
discomfiture  of  Monsieur  de  Curt — into  his  coach  and 
drove  directly  to  Madame  de  Tesse's,  where  they  found 
apartments  ready  for  them  for  the  night  and  where 
they  could  get  some  repose  before  dressing  for  din- 
ner and  the  King's  levee,  at  which  Mr.  Jefferson  in- 
tended to  present  both  Mr.  Morris  and  Mr.  Calvert 
to  their  Majesties. 


CHAPTER  XI 

MR.    CALVERT    ATTENDS    THE    KING'S    LEVEE 

IT  had  been  the  intention  of  the  court  to  give  but 
one  levee — that  to  the  deputies  on  the  Saturday  pre- 
ceding the  opening  of  the  States-General,  but  so  wide- 
spread and  so  profound  had  been  the  dissatisfaction 
among  the  tiers  at  the  treatment  they  had  received 
on  that  occasion  at  the  hands  of  Monsieur  de  Breze, 
that  the  King  had  hastily  decided  to  hold  another 
levee  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  May,  to  which  all 
the  deputies  were  again  invited  and  at  which  much 
of  the  formal  and  displeasing  ceremony  of  the  first 
reception  was  to  be  banished.  At  the  first  levee  His 
Majesty  had  remained  in  state  in  the  Salle  d'Hercule, 
to  which  the  deputies  were  admitted  according  to 
their  rank,  the  noblesse  and  higher  clergy  passing  in 
through  the  great  state  apartments,  the  tiers  being 
introduced  one  after  the  other  by  a  side  entrance. 
The  King  now  rightly  determined  to  receive  all  in 
the  great  Salle  des  Glaces  with  as  little  formality  as 
possible.  But  with  that  unhappy  fatality  which 
seemed  to  attend  his  every  action,  this  resolution, 
which  would  have  been  productive  of  such  good 
results  at  first,  now  seemed  but  a  tardy  and  ineffi- 
cient apology  for  courtly  hauteur. 

So  fatigued  was  Madame  de  Tesse  and  her  guests 
176 


CALYERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

by  the  day's  proceedings,  that  it  was  late  when  they 
set  off  from  the  rue  Dauphine  for  the  palace.  Mr. 
Morris  had  the  honor  of  driving  alone  with  Madame 
de  Tesse  (Lafayette  and  d'Azay  declining  to  attend 
this  levee,  having  paid  their  respects  to  the  King  on 
Saturday),  while  Mr.  Jefferson,  whose  coach  had  re- 
mained at  Versailles,  begged  the  pleasure  of  Madame 
de  St.  Andre's  company  for  himself  and  Mr.  Calvert. 
She  came  down  the  marble  steps  in  her  laces  and 
gaze  d'or,  her  dark  hair  unpowdered  and  unadorned 
save  for  a  white  rose,  half-opened,  held  in  the  coil  by 
a  diamond  buckle,  and  she  looked  so  lovely  and  so 
much  the  grand  princess  that  Mr.  Jefferson  could  not 
forbear  complimenting  her  as  he  handed  her  into  the 
coach.  As  for  Mr.  Calvert,  he  stood  by  in  silence, 
quite  dazzled  by  her  beauty.  She  took  Mr.  Jefferson's 
compliments  and  Calvert's  silent  admiration  compla- 
cently and  as  though  they  were  no  more  than  her  just 
due,  and  talked  gayly  and  graciously  enough  with 
the  minister,  though  she  had  scarce  a  word  for  the 
younger  man,  whom  she  treated  in  a  fashion  even 
more  than  usually  imperious,  and  to  which  he  sub- 
mitted with  his  unvarying  composure  and  good- 
nature. 

In  the  Place  d'Armes  the  crush  of  coaches  was  so 
great  that  the  American  Minister's  carriage  could  move 
but  slowly  from  that  point  into  the  Cour  Royale,  and 
'twas  with  much  difficulty  that  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
Calvert,  finally  alighting,  forced  a  passage  through 
the  crowd  for  Madame  de  St.  Andre.  At  the  foot 
of  the  great  Escalier  des  Ambassadeurs  they  found 

177 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

Madame  de  Tesse  and  Mr.  Morris,  who  had  just 
arrived.  Mounting  together,  they  passed  through 
the  state  apartments  of  the  King,  upon  the  ceilings 
and  panellings  of  which  Mr.  Calvert  noted  the  ever 
recurring  sun-disk,  emblem  of  the  Roi  Soleil  whose 
sun  had  set  so  ingloriously  long  before;  through  the 
Salle  de  la  Guerre,  from  whose  dome  that  same  Sun- 
King,  vanquished  so  easily  by  Death,  hurled  thunder- 
bolts of  wrath  before  which  Spain  and  Holland 
cowered  in  fear;  until  they  at  length  came  into  the 
Galerie  des  Glaces,  where  their  Majesties  were  to 
receive. 

Not  even  the  splendor  of  the  Salle  des  Menus  could 
rival  for  an  instant  the  beauty  of  the  vast  hall,  brill- 
iantly lighted  by  great  golden  lustres  set  in  double 
row  up  and  down  its  length,  in  which  Mr.  Calvert  now 
found  himself.  These  lights  burned  themselves  out 
in  endless  reflections  in  the  seventeen  great  mirrors 
set  between  columns  on  one  side  of  the  hall.  Oppo- 
site each  of  these  mirrors  was  a  window  of  equal 
proportions  giving  upon  the  magnificent  gardens  and 
terraces.  The  vaulted  ceiling  of  this  great  gallery 
was  dedicated,  in  a  series  of  paintings  by  Lebrun,  to 
the  glorification  of  Louis  XIV,  from  the  moment 
when,  on  the  death  of  Mazarin,  in  1661,  he  took  up 
the  reins  of  government  ('twas  the  theme  of  the 
great  central  fresco,  Le  Roi  gouvcrnc  par  hii-mcme, 
wherein,  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  day,  the  very 
Olympian  deities  were  subject  to  the  princes  of  France, 
and  Mercury  announced  this  kingly  resolve  to  the  other 
powers  of  Europe)  to  the  peace  of  Nymwegen,  which 

178 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

closed  that  unjust  and  inglorious  war  with  Holland. 
Lebrun,  being  a  courtier  as  well  as  an  artist,  had 
made  these  military  operations  under  Turenne  and 
Conde  resemble  prodigious  success,  and  from  The 
Passage  of  the  Rhine  to  The  Capture  of  Ghent,  Louis 
was  always  the  conqueror  over  the  young  Stadtholder, 
William  of  Orange. 

These  and  many  other  details  Mr.  Calvert  had  time 
to  note  as  he  made  a  tour  of  the  princely  apartment 
in  the  train  of  Madame  de  St.  Andre  and  Madame 
de  Tesse.  Their  progress  was  necessarily  slow,  as 
the  gallery  was  thronged  with  the  deputies  of  the 
noblesse,  the  higher  clergy,  and  the  invited  guests. 
But  the  members  of  the  tiers,  whose  presence  had 
been  especially  desired  by  His  Majesty,  were  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence.  Here  and  there  one  saw 
a  commoner  in  black  coat  and  simple  white  tie,  but 
he  seemed  to  be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  splendid 
company  by  some  invisible  barrier,  constrained,  un- 
easy. Indeed,  there  was  over  the  whole  scene  that 
same  feeling  of  constraint,  a  sense  of  danger,  and  an 
air  of  apathy,  too,  that  killed  all  gayety. 

"  If  this  is  a  fair  sample,  court  balls  must  be  but 
dreary  affairs,"  said  Mr.  Morris  to  Calvert,  in  a  low 
tone,  as  they  moved  slowly  about.  And  yet,  in  spite 
of  this  indefinite  but  sensible  pall  over  everything,  the 
company  was  both  numerous  and  brilliant.  The  ladies 
of  the  Queen's  household  and  many  others  of  the 
highest  nobility  were  present,  dazzling  in  jewels, 
powder,  feathers,  and  richest  court  dresses.  As  for 
the  gentlemen,  they  were  as  resplendent  as  the  women 

179 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

in  their  satins  and  glittering  orders  and  silver  dress 
swords.  Mr.  Morris  alone  of  all  the  company  was 
without  the  dress  sword,  this  concession  having  been 
granted  him  on  account  of  his  lameness  and  through 
the  application  of  Mr.  Jefferson. 

"  It  is  a  grim  jest  to  give  a  man  an  extra  arm  when 
he  needs  a  leg,  Mr.  Jefferson.  Can't  you  see  to  it 
that  I  am  spared  being  made  a  monstrosity  of  ?  "  Mr. 
Morris  had  said,  whimsically.  "  I  can  hear  Segur 
or  Beaufort  now  making  some  damned  joke  about 
the  unequal  distribution  of  my  members,"  and  Mr. 
Jefferson  had  made  a  formal  request  to  the  master 
of  ceremonies  to  allow  Mr.  Morris  to  be  presented 
to  His  Majesty  without  a  sword.  With  that  excep- 
tion, however,  he  was  in  full  court  costume  and 
stumped  his  way  about  the  Galerie  des  Glaces  with 
his  accustomed  savoir  faire,  attracting  almost  as  much 
attention  and  interest  as  Mr.  Jefferson.  That  gentle- 
man, in  his  gray  cloth,  with  some  fine  Mechlin  lace 
at  throat  and  wrists,  and  wearing  only  his  order  of 
the  Cincinnati,  overtopped  all  the  other  ambassadors 
in  stately  bearing,  and  looked  more  noble  than  did 
most  of  the  marquises  and  counts  and  dukes  in  their 
brocades  and  powdered  perukes  and  glittering  deco- 
rations— or,  at  least*  so  thought  Calvert,  who  was 
himself  very  good  to  look  at  in  his  white  broadcloth 
and  flowered  satin  waistcoat. 

The  slow  progress  of  the  party  around  the  room 
was  not  entirely  to  Mr.  Calvert's  liking,  for  at  each 
step  Madame  de  St.  Andre  was  forced  to  stop  and 
speak  to  some  eager  courtier  who  presented  himself, 

180 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

and,  by  the  time  they  were  half-way  through  the 
tour  and  opposite  the  CEil  de  Beef,  such  a  retinue  was 
following  the  beauty  that  he  found  himself  quite  in 
the  rear  and  completely  separated  from  her. 

"  I  feel  like  the  remnant  of  a  beleaguered  army  cut 
off  from  the  base  of  supplies,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  smil- 
ing at  the  young  man.  He  and  Mr.  Jefferson  had 
dropped  behind,  having  given  way  to  younger  and 
more  pressing  claimants  for  Madame  de  St.  Andre's 
favor.  "  Shall  we  make  a  masterly  retreat  while 
there  is  time  ?  " 

While  he  was  yet  speaking  a  sudden  silence  fell 
upon  the  company,  and  Monsieur  de  Breze,  throwing 
open  the  doors  leading  into  the  Gallery  of  Mirrors 
from  Louis's  council  chamber,  announced  the  King 
and  Queen.  Their  Majesties  entered  immediately, 
attended  at  a  respectful  distance  by  a  small  retinue 
of  gentlemen,  among  whom  Calvert  recognized  the 
Due  de  Broglie,  Monsieur  de  la  Luzerne,  and  Mon- 
sieur de  Montmorin.  At  this  near  sight  of  the  King 
— for  he  found  himself  directly  opposite  the  door  by 
which  their  Majesties  entered — Mr.  Calvert  felt  a 
shock  of  surprise.  Surrounded  by  all  the  pomp  and 
circumstance  of  a  most  imposing  ceremonial  and  seen 
across  the  vast  Salle  des  Menus,  Louis  XVI.  had 
appeared  to  the  young  American  kingly  enough. 
But  this  large,  awkward,  good-natured-looking  man 
who  now  made  his  way  quietly  and  with  a  shambling 
gait  into  the  brilliant  room,  crowded  with  the  most 
splendid  courtiers  of  Europe,  had  no  trace  of  majesty 
about  him,  unless  it  was  a  certain  look  of  benignity 

181 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

and  kindliness  that  shone  in  the  light-blue  eyes.  His 
dress  of  unexpected  simplicity  and  the  unaffected 
style  of  his  whole  deportment  were  unlocked  for  by 
Calvert.  Indeed,  but  for  the  splendid  decorations 
he  wore  and  the  humility  of  his  courtiers,  the  young 
gentleman  would  have  found  it  hard  to  believe  himself 
in  such  exalted  company,  and  thought  privately  that 
General  Washington  or  Mr.  Jefferson  or  many 
another  great  American  whom  he  had  known  had  a 
more  commanding  presence  and  a  more  noble  counte- 
nance than  this  descendant  of  kings. 

But  if  Louis  XVI  was  awkward  and  unprepos- 
sessing he  had  the  kindest  manners  in  the  world, 
and  when  Mr.  Jefferson  presented  Mr.  Calvert  to  His 
Majesty  as  "  son  jeune  et  bien-aime  secretaire,  qui 
avait  servi  dans  la  guerre  de  1'independence  sous  le 
drapeau  de  la  France,  commande  par  Monsieur  de 
Lafayette,  pour  qu'il  avait  un  respect  le  plus  profond 
et  une  amitie  la  plus  vive,"  the  young  man  was  quite 
overcome  by  the  graciousness  of  his  reception  and 
retained  for  the  rest  of  his  life  a  very  lively  impres- 
sion of  the  King's  kind  treatment  of  him.  He  never 
had  speech  with  that  unhappy,  but  well-intentioned, 
ruler  but  once  afterward,  and  very  possibly  'twas  as 
much  the  memory  of  the  courtesy  shown  him  as  the 
wish  to  see  justice  done  and  royalty  in  distress  suc- 
cored that  made  him,  on  the  occasion  of  his  second 
interview,  offer  himself  so  ardently  in  the  dangerous 
service  of  the  King. 

Perhaps  it  was  the  presence  at  his  side  of  his  beauti- 
ful consort  that  accentuated  all  of  Louis's  awkward- 

182 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

ness.  As  Mr.  Calvert  bowed  low  before  the  Queen, 
Marie  Antoinette,  he  thought  to  himself  that  surely 
there  was  no  other  princess  in  all  Europe  to  compare 
with  her,  and  but  one  beauty.  Certain  it  was  that  she 
bore  herself  with  a  pride  of  race,  a  majesty,  a  divine 
grace  that  were  peerless.  It  must  have  been  some 
such  queen  as  this  who  first  inspired  the  artists  with 
the  idea  of  representing  the  princes  of  this  earth  as 
Olympic  deities,  for  assuredly  no  goddess  was  ever 
more  beautiful.  Though  care  and  grief  and  humilia- 
tion had  already  touched  her,  though  there  were  fine 
lines  around  the  proudly  curving  lips  and  an  anxious 
shadow  in  the  large  eyes,  her  complexion  was  still 
transcendently  brilliant,  her  figure  still  youthful  and 
marvellously  graceful,  and  there  was  that  in  her  car- 
riage and  glance  that  attracted  all  eyes.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  silver  gauze  embroidered  in  laurier  roses 
so  cunningly  wrought  that  they  looked  as  if  fresh 
plucked  and  scattered  over  the  lacy  fabric.  Her  hair, 
which  was  worn  simply — she  had  set  the  fashion  for 
less  extravagance  in  the  style  of  head-dress — was 
piled  up  in  lightly  powdered  coils,  ornamented  only 
with  a  feather  and  a  star  of  brilliants. 

"  Ainsi,  Monsieur,  vous  connaissez  notre  cher  de 
Lafayette  "  (she  hated  and  feared  him)  "  et  tout  jeune 
que  vous  etes  vous  avez  deja  vu  la  guerre — la  mort, 
la  victorie,  et  la  deroute !  "  She  spoke  with  a  certain 
sadness,  and  Calvert,  bowing  low  again,  and  speaking 
only  indifferent  French  in  his  agitation,  told  her  that 
under  Lafayette  it  had  been  "  la  mort  et  la  victoire," 
but  never  defeat. 

183 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

She  glanced  around  the  assemblage.  "  Monsieur 
de  Lafayette  is  not  come  to-night/'  she  said,  coldly, 
to  the  young  man,  and  then,  with  a  sudden  accession 
of  interest,  she  went  on :  "  We  heard  much  of  that 
America  of  yours  from  him  when  he  returned  from 
your  war"  ('twas  she  herself  who  had  obtained  his 
forgiveness  from  the  King  and  a  command  for  him 
in  the  Roi  Dragons).  "  I  think  he  loves  it  and  your 
General  Washington  better  than  he  does  his  own  King 
and  country,"  she  said,  smiling  a  little  bitterly.  "  Is 
it,  then,  so  beautiful  a  country  ?  " 

'Tis  a  very  beautiful  and  a  very  grateful  country, 
Your  Majesty,"  replied  Calvert.  "America  desires 
nothing  so  much  as  to  do  some  service  for  Your 
Majesty  in  return  for  all  the  benefits  and  assistance 
France  has  rendered  her." 

"  We  are  glad  to  know  that  she  is  grateful.  In- 
gratitude is  the  last  of  vices,"  said  the  Queen,  quietly, 
looking  at  the  young  man  with  a  sombre  light  in  her 
beautiful  eyes.  "  But,  indeed,  we  fear  France  hath 
given  her  something  she  can  never  repay,"  and  she 
passed  on  with  the  King.  Together  they  walked  the 
length  of  the  salon  between  the  ranks  of  courtiers, 
after  which  they  mingled  freely  and  without  formality 
with  their  guests.  Though  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the 
Queen  was  suffering,  so  charming  and  easy  were  her 
manners,  so  brilliant  her  very  presence,  that  a  new 
animation  and  gayety  was  diffused  throughout  the 
entire  assemblage.  Mr.  Morris,  whom  she  had  also 
treated  with  the  utmost  graciousness,  was  enchanted 
with  her. 

184 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

"  I  think  Venus  herself  was  not  more  beautiful,"  he 
said,  enthusiastically,  to  Calvert  when  Her  Majesty 
had  passed  on.  '  'Tis  no  wonder  the  wits  have  dubbed 
the  King  Vulcan.  And  this  is  the  paragon  of  beauty 
and  grace  whom  her  ungallant  subjects  chose  to  insult 
this  morning!  Have  they  no  hearts,  no  senses  to  be 
charmed  with  her  loveliness,  her  majesty,  her  sorrows? 
I  think  you  and  I,  Ned,  ought  to  be  loyal  servants 
of  both  the  King  and  Queen,  for  surely  royalty  could 
not  have  been  more  courteous  in  its  treatment  of  two 
untitled  and  unimportant  gentlemen." 

"Certainly  their  Majesties  were  most  amiable,"  said 
Mr.  Jefferson,  dryly,  "  and  your  reception  was  as  un- 
like the  ungracious  notice  which  King  George  took  of 
Mr.  Adams  and  myself  in  '86  at  Buckingham  Palace 
as  possible.  But,  come,  I  want  to  show  you  a  view 
of  the  gardens,"  he  went  on,  pushing  back  the  heavy 
drapery  and  drawing  the  two  gentlemen  into  the 
embrasure  of  one  of  the  great  windows,  from  which 
a  perfect  view  of  the  extensive  park,  the  bosquets,  the 
artificial  lakes  and  tapis  vert,  the  fountains  and  statues, 
was  to  be  had.  A  thousand  lanterns  lighted  up  the 
scene,  though  they  shone  with  but  a  yellow,  ineffectual 
radiance  in  the  moonlight,  which  rested  in  splendor 
on  the  grass  and  water,  turning  to  milky  whiteness  the 
foam  in  the  basins  of  the  fountains  and  throwing  long 
shadows  on  the  close-clipped  lawns  and  marble  walks. 

The  three  gentlemen  gazed  for  some  minutes  in 
silence  at  the  enchanting  scene  before  them. 

"  Tis  a  fitting  setting  for  the  palace  of  a  king," 
said  Mr.  Morris,  at  length. 

185 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

"  Yes — "  returned  Mr.  Jefferson,  slowly,  "  if  'tis  ever 
fitting  that  a  king  should  arrogate  to  his  sole  use  the 
wealth,  the  toil,  the  bounty  of  an  empire.  I  confess 
I  never  look  at  this  stately  palace,  at  these  magnificent 
gardens,  but  I  shudder  to  think  of  the  hundred  mill- 
ions of  francs  this  impoverished  nation  has  been 
goaded  into  giving;  of  the  thousands  of  lives  lost  in 
the  building  of  these  aqueducts;  of  the  countless 
years  and  countless  energy  spent  in  devising  and 
carrying  out  these  schemes  for  royal  aggrandizement 
and  pleasure.  We  come  here  and  gape  and  wonder 
at  it  all,  and  little  think  at  what  stupendous  cost  our 
senses  are  so  gratified. 

"  '  The  man  of  wealth  and  pride 

Takes  up  a  space  that  many  poor  supplied — 

Space  for  his  lake,  his  park's  extended  bounds, 

Space  for  his  horses,  equipage,  and  hounds  ; 

The  robe  that  wraps  his  limbs  in  silken  sloth 

Has  robb'd  the  neighboring  fields  of  half  their  growth  ; 

His  seat,  where  solitary  sports  are  seen, 

Indignant  spurns  the  cottage  from  the  green ; 

Around  the  world  each  needful  product  flies, 

For  all  the  luxuries  the  world  supplies  : 

While  thus  the  land  adorn'd  for  pleasure — all 

In  barren  splendor  feebly  waits  the  fall.'  " 

As  Mr.  Jefferson  finished  quoting  the  lines,  the 
sound  of  voices  and  exclamations  of  astonishment 
came  to  the  gentlemen  from  the  other  side  of  the  cur- 
tain. Looking  into  the  salon  they  saw  Monsieur  de 
St.  Aulaire  surrounded  by  a  little  group  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  He  was  speaking  quite  audibly,  so  that 

186 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

his  words  reached  the  astonished  group  in  the  em- 
brasure of  the  window. 

"  'Tis  the  latest  from  the  Club  des  Enrages — the 
King  abdicates  to-morrow !  "  He  passed  on  amid  a 
chorus  of  dismayed  ejaculations. 

"  What   is   this  ? "    said   Mr.   Jefferson,    in   alarm. 

'Tis  impossible  that  it  should  be  true.  Yonder  I 
see  Montmorin.  I  will  ask  him  the  meaning  of  this," 
and  he  passed  hurriedly  into  the  salon,  leaving  Mr. 
Morris  and  Calvert  alone. 

"  'Tis  some  infernal  deviltry  of  St.  Aulaire's,  I'll 
be  bound,"  said  Mr.  Morris.  "  I  think  I  will  go,  too, 
Ned,"  he  said,  after  a  minute's  silence,  "  and  see 
if  I  can't  find  Madame  de  Flahaut.  She  will  know 
what  this  wild  report  amounts  to.  Oh,  you  need  not 
stand  there  smiling  at  me  with  those  serious  eyes  of 
yours,  my  young  Sir  Galahad!  She's  a  very  pretty 
and  a  very  interesting  woman,  if  a  good  deal  of  the 
intrigante,  and  as  for  me,  I  know  excellently  well 
how  to  take  care  of  myself.  I  wonder  if  you  do !  " 
and  with  that  he  passed  out,  laughing  and  drawing 
the  velvet  curtains  of  the  window  together  behind 
him. 

Mr.  Calvert,  thus  left  alone,  and  being  shut  off  from 
the  great  gallery  by  the  drapery  of  the  window, 
folded  his  arms,  and,  leaning  against  the  open  case- 
ment, gazed  out  at  the  beautiful  scene  before  him. 
And  as  he  looked  up  in  the  heavens  at  the  moon  shin- 
ing with  such  effulgence  on  this  scene  of  splendor, 
the  thought  came  to  him  that  she  was  shining  on 
other  and  far  different  scenes,  too — on  the  tides  of 

187 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

the  ocean  and  on  the  cold  snows  of  the  mountain- 
peaks;  on  squalor  and  wretchedness  and  agitation  in 
the  great  city  so  near ;  and  especially  did  he  think  of 
one  tranquil  and  beloved  spot  across  the  sea,  on  which 
he  had  seen  this  self-same  moon  shining  with  as  serene 
a  radiance  many,  many  times.  The  sounds  of  laugh- 
ter and  animated  talk,  the  click  of  silver  swords,  the 
strains  of  music  from  the  musicians  in  the  gallery 
above  the  CEil  de  Boef  came  faintly  to  him.  Suddenly 
he  was  aware  that  the  curtains  had  been  lifted,  and 
turning  around,  he  saw  Madame  de  St.  Andre  stand- 
ing in  the  light,  one  hand  pulling  back  the  velvet 
hangings,  and,  behind  her,  Monsieur  de  Beaufort  and 
St.  Aulaire. 

"  I  am  come  to  congratulate  you,  Monsieur,"  she 
said,  smiling,  and  coming  into  the  embrasure  of  the 
window,  followed  by  the  two  gentlemen — it  was  so 
deep  that  the  four  could  stand  at  ease  in  it,  even 
when  the  curtains  had  been  dropped.  "  I  am  come 
to  congratulate  you  !  Your  courtesy  to  the  King  was 
perfection  itself.  I  was  over  against  the  CEil  de  Boef 
and  could  see  very  well  what  passed.  I  am  sure  had 
His  Majesty  been  General  Washington  himself  you 
could  not  have  excelled  it.  You  must  know,  gentle- 
men," she  said,  laughing  maliciously  and  turning  to 
St.  Aulaire  and  Beaufort,  "  you  must  know  that  when 
I  expressed  my  great  desire  to  see  how  an  American 
would  salute  a  king,  Monsieur  told  me  that  I  need 
have  no  fear,  as  he  had  paid  his  respects  to  General 
Washington !  " 

"  Monsieur  does  not  mean  to  compare  General 
1 88 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

Washington  with  His  Majesty  Louis  XVI,  does  he  ?  " 
drawled  St.  Aulaire,  insolently. 

"  No,  Monsieur — no,"  says  Calvert,  turning  to  the 
nobleman,  who  was  leaning  negligently  against  the 
ledge  of  the  window.  "  There  can  be  no  comparison. 
Who,  indeed,  can  be  compared  with  him  ?  "  he  breaks 
out  suddenly.  :'  There  is  none  like  him.  None  so 
wise  or  courageous  or  truly  royal.  How  can  the  kings 
of  this  world,  born  in  the  purple,  who,  through  no 
act,  nor  powers,  nor  fitness  of  their  own,  reign  over 
their  people;  how  can  they  be  compared  to  one  who, 
by  the  greatness  of  his  talents,  the  soundness  of  his 
judgment,  the  firmness  of  his  will,  the  tenderness  of 
his  heart,  the  overtopping  majesty  of  his  whole  nature, 
hath  raised  himself  so  gloriously  above  his  fellows? 
To  one,  the  kingly  estate  is  but  a  gift  blindly  bestowed ; 
to  the  other,  'tis  the  divine  right  of  excelling  merit. 
The  one  is  ruler  by  sufferance;  the  other,  by  accla- 
mation. And  do  you  think,  Madame,"  he  goes  on, 
turning  to  Adrienne,  "  that  that  ruler  who  has  been 
elevated  to  his  greatness  by  the  choice  of  a  people 
would  betray  that  confidence,  abandon  that  trust,  as 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  has  just  announced  that 
the  King  of  France  is  about  to  do?  Surely  General 
Washington  would  not.  Ah,  Madame!  Could  you 
but  see  him ;  but  see  the  noble  calm  of  his  countenance, 
the  commanding  eye,  the  consummate  majesty  of  his 
presence,  you  would  say  with  me,  '  there  is  no  king 
like  him  !  '  " 

As  Calvert  finished  his  impassioned  eulogy  of  his 
great  commander,  there  was  a  slight  stir  near  him 

189 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

and,  looking-  around,  he  beheld  the  King  draw  back 
the  heavy  curtains  and,  standing  in  the  flood  of  light, 
look  quietly  into  the  embrasure  of  the  window.  Be- 
hind him  was  Mr.  Jefferson,  pale  and  concerned- 
looking,  but  with  a  glow  of  ill-concealed  pride  on  his 
countenance  at  the  patriotic  words  he  had  just  heard 
uttered.  On  either  side  of  His  Majesty  stood  Mon- 
sieur le  Due  de  Broglie  and  Monsieur  de  Montmorin, 
white  with  anger  and  consternation.  As  the  King 
stepped  forward,  Madame  de  St.  Andre  sank  almost 
to  the  ground  in  a  deep  courtesy,  while  Beaufort  and 
St.  Aulaire  dropped  on  their  knees  before  him.  Cal- 
vert  alone  retained  his  composure  and  stood  before 
the  King,  pale,  with  folded  arms. 

For  an  instant  there  was  a  profound  silence,  and 
then  Louis,  drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  height  and 
looking  around  upon  the  stricken  company,  turned  to 
Calvert  with  so  much  benignity  in  his  gaze  and  mien 
that  the  young  American  was  startled  and  awed.  He 
never  forgot  that  unexpected  graciousness  nor  ceased 
to  feel  grateful  for  it. 

"  Monsieur,"  said  the  King,  and  there  was  a  thrill 
of  deep  feeling  in  his  voice,  "  believe  me,  whatever 
failings  crowned  monarchs  may  have,  they  at  least 
know  how  to  value  such  deep  devotion  as  you  give 
your  uncrowned  ruler.  Tis  as  you  say — this  kingly 
estate  is  thrust  upon  us ;  it  is  not  of  our  seeking,  per- 
haps it  would  not  be  of  our  choosing ;  how  much  more 
grateful  to  us,  then,  is  the  loyalty  and  the  love  of  those 
over  whom  we  find  ourselves  involuntarily  placed  and 
who  must  of  their  own  free  wills  give  us  their  faith 

190 


CALYERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

and  service  or  else  withhold  them  entirely !  Gentle- 
men, proud  as  I  am  of  my  kingdom  and  my  subjects, 
I  still  find  it  in  my  heart  to  envy  General  Washington ! 
And  yet,  have  I  not  as  loyal  subjects?"  He  turned 
and  looked  at  the  company  about  him.  At  his  glance 
a  hundred  cries  of  "  Vive  le  roi !  "  were  heard,  and 
there  was  a  sharp  ring  of  silver  swords  as  they  leaped 
from  their  sheaths  and  were  held  aloft.  The  King 
stood  smiling  and  triumphant.  Seeing  him  thus,  with 
his  courtiers  about  him,  who  could  dream  that  the 
6th  of  October  was  but  a  few  months  off ! 

"  Ah,  gentlemen,  I  am  no  '  king  by  trade,'  as  our 
cousin  of  Austria  hath  called  himself.  At  this  moment 
I  feel  that  I  am  indeed  your  King."  The  tumult  of 
applause  which  followed  these  words  was  suddenly 
stilled  as  the  King  lifted  his  hand  and  pointed  to 
St.  Aulaire. 

"  But,  Monsieur,"  says  Louis,  a  sombre  expression 
clouding  the  triumph  in  his  face  as  he  looked  hard 
at  St.  Aulaire,  "  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  speech  of 
yours  to  which  Monsieur  Calvert  makes  reference  ?  " 

"  Nom  de  diable !  "  whispered  St.  Aulaire  to  Cal- 
vert, deathly  pale  and  almost  ready  to  faint  from  con- 
sternation. "  You  have  ruined  me !  "  He  managed 
to  make  a  step  forward  and  sank  down  before  the 
King,  who  glowered  at  him. 

'  'Twas  but  a  plaisanterie,  Your  Majesty !  "  and  if 
such  a  jest,  with  a  king  for  the  butt,  seems  incredible, 
let  one  remember  that  already  Louis  had  been  refused 
his  cour  pleniere  and  the  Queen  lampooned  and  hissed 
at  the  theatre. 

191 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

"  Monsieur  le  Baron  de  St.  Aulaire,  we  have  heard 
before  of  your  plaisanteries,"  said  Louis,  his  light- 
blue  eyes  flashing  more  wrathfully  than  one  could 
have  believed  possible,  the  red  heels  of  his  shoes  click- 
ing together,  and  his  heavy  figure  bent  forward  menac- 
ingly, "  but  this  audacity  passes  belief.  The  court 
of  Louis  the  Sixteenth  needs  no  jester.  For  a  season 
you  can  be  spared  attendance  upon  us.  Your  estates 
in  Brittany  doubtless  need  your  presence.  This  un- 
pardonable levity,  Monsieur,"  he  went  on,  severely, 
"  contrasts  strangely  with  the  attitude  and  language 
of  this  American  subject,"  and  he  bowed  slightly  to 
Calvert  as  he  turned  away. 

St.  Aulaire,  pallid  with  consternation,  stretched 
out  an  imploring  hand  to  the  King. 

"  Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  "  'twas  but  a  thoughtless 
jest,  too  idle  to  be  believed  or  repeated.  Will  Your 
Majesty  not  deign  to  remember  that  St.  Aulaire's 
life  and  sword  have  been  ever  at  Your  Majesty's 
service  ?  " 

As  the  prostrate  nobleman  began  to  speak,  the  King 
hesitated,  turned  back,  and  looked  perplexedly  at  him. 
As  he  gazed,  a  look  of  indecision,  of  distaste  and 
weariness,  crept  into  his  countenance.  All  the  passion, 
dignity,  and  just  anger  which  had  lit  it  up  faded  away. 
The  brief  revelation  of  majesty  was  quenched,  and 
the  customary  commonplace,  vacant,  good-natured 
expression  held  sway  once  more. 

"  Rise,  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,"  he  said,  wearily. 
"  We  forgive  you  this  unfortunate  plaisanterie,  since 
its  execrable  taste  carries  with  it  its  own  worst  pun- 

192 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

ishment.  But  be  careful,  sir,  how  you  offend  again !  " 
With  a  last  glance  of  warning,  which,  however,  had 
lost  its  severity,  the  King  turned  away,  followed  by 
the  Due  de  Broglie,  and,  seeking  the  Queen,  their 
Majesties  retired  very  shortly. 

With  the  Queen's  withdrawal,  all  the  zest  and  ani- 
mation of  the  function  disappeared,  too,  and  Mr. 
Calvert,  wearying  of  the  brilliant  company,  determined 
to  leave  the  scene  and  stroll  through  the  gardens.  He 
descended  by  the  Grand  Escalier  des  Ambassadeurs, 
up  which  he  had  come,  and,  passing  out  through  the 
Marble  Court,  quickly  found  himself  on  the  broad 
terrace  beneath  the  windows  of  the  Gallery  of  Mir- 
rors. From  this,  marble  steps  led  down  to  a  beautiful 
parterre,  below  which  the  Fountain  of  Latona  played 
in  the  white  moonlight.  Standing  on  the  terrace, 
Calvert  could  see  the  marble  nymph  through  the  mist 
of  spray  flung  upon  her  from  the  hideous  gaping 
mouths  of  the  gilded  frogs  lying  along  the  edge  of 
the  basin.  'Twas  the  story  of  Jupiter's  wrath  against 
the  Lyceans  which  the  sculptor  had  told,  and  Calvert 
remembered  it  out  of  his  Ovid.  Beyond  this  lovely 
fountain  the  green  level  of  the  tapis  vert  fell  away  to 
the  great  Bassin  d'Appollon,  where  the  sun-god  dis- 
ported himself  among  his  Tritons,  the  foamy  tops  of 
the  great  jets  of  water  blown  from  their  shell-trumpets 
rising  high  in  the  air  and  scattered  into  spray  by  the 
night  wind. 

It  was  a  scene  not  to  be  forgotten,  and  Mr.  Calvert 
stood  gazing  at  it  a  long  while — at  the  softly  playing 
fountains  and  the  sombre  bosquets  and  the  sculptured 

193 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

groups  on  every  hand,  showing  faintly  in  the  moon- 
light. Fauns  and  satyrs  peeped  from  the  dense 
foliage.  Here  there  showed  a  Venus  sculptured  in 
some  Ionian  isle  before  ever  Caesar  and  his  cohorts 
had  pressed  the  soil  of  Gallia  beneath  their  Roman 
sandals ;  there,  a  Ganymede  or  a  Ceres  or  a  Minerva 
gleamed  wan  and  beautiful ;  beneath  an  ilex-tree  a 
Bacchus  leaned  lightly  on  his  marble  thyrsus.  It 
seemed  as  if  all  the  hierarchy  of  Olympus  had  de- 
scended to  dwell  in  this  royal  pleasure-ground  at  the 
bidding  of  the  Roi  Soleil. 

Filled  with  the  unrivalled  beauty  of  the  scene,  Cal- 
vert  at  length  turned  away  and,  passing  down  the 
great  flight  of  marble  steps  leading  to  the  Orangery, 
slowly  made  his  way  into  the  park.  The  shadows 
were  so  dense  here  that  the  statues  looked  ghostly  in 
the  dim  light.  Now  and  then  he  could  hear  a  low 
laugh  and  catch  the  flutter  of  a  silken  gown  along  the 
shadowy  walks,  or  the  glint  of  a  stray  moonbeam  on  a 
silver  sword.  He  strolled  about,  scarcely  knowing 
whither,  guided  by  the  sound  of  splashing  water,  and 
coming  upon  many  a  beautiful  spot  in  his  solitary 
ramble,  among  them  that  famous  Bosquet  de  la  Reine 
where  the  scoundrelly,  frightened  Rohan  had  sworn 
the  Queen  had  stooped  to  him.  He  passed  by  the 
place,  all  unconscious  of  its  unhappy  history,  and  so 
on  down  a  broad  pathway  toward  the  tapis  vert. 

As  he  walked  slowly  along,  charmed  with  the  beauty 
of  the  scene  around  him,  and  smiling  now  and  again 
to  think  that  fortune  should  have  placed  him  in  the 
midst  of  such  unaccustomed  splendors,  he  suddenly 

194 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

heard  the  sounds  of  a  lute  near  him,  fingered  in  tenta- 
tive accord,  and  an  instant  later  he  recognized  St. 
Aulaire's  voice. 

'  'Twas  written  for  you,  Madame,  and  'tis  called 
'  Le  Pays  du  Tendre,' "  he  said,  still  fingering  the 
strings.  "  I  would  wander  in  the  land  with  you, 
Madame."  Suddenly  he  begins  to  sing  softly,  and, 
in  the  silence  and  perfume  of  the  summer  night,  his 
hushed  voice  sounded  like  a  caress : 

Land  of  the  madrigal  and  ode, 

Of  rainbow  air  and  cloudless  weather, 

Tell  me  what  ferny,  elfin  road 

Will  lead  my  eager  footsteps  thither. 

Tricked  out  with  gems  shall  I  go  hither  ? 

Or  in  a  carriage  a  la  mode, 

Land  of  the  madrigal  and  ode, 

Of  rainbow  air  and  cloudless  weather  ? 

Or  in  the  garb  by  Love  bestow'd  ? 

With  roses  crown 'd  and  sprigs  of  heather, 

With  mandolin  and  dart  enbow'd 

Shall  Cupid  and  I  go  together — 

Land  of  the  madrigal  and  ode, 

Of  rainbow  air  and  cloudless  weather  ? 

As  the  last  tinkling  notes  of  the  lute  died  away, 
Calvert  was  about  to  go,  but  he  was  suddenly 
startled  by  hearing  a  faint  scream.  Turning  quickly 
and  noiselessly  in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound 
seemed  to  have  come,  he  found  himself  in  an  in- 
stant in  a  thick  and  beautiful  bosquet.  A  double  row 
of  ilex-trees,  inside  of  which  ran  a  colonnade  of 
white  marble,  completely  encircled  and  shut  in  a 

195 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

cleared  space,  in  the  centre  of  which  bubbled  a  foun- 
tain. Into  this  secluded  spot  the  moon,  high  in  the 
heavens,  shone  with  unclouded  radiance,  so  that  he 
saw,  as  clearly  as  though  'twere  noonday,  Madame 
de  St.  Andre  standing  at  the  edge  of  the  basin,  her 
lips  white  and  parted  in  fear,  one  hand  pressed  against 
her  throat,  the  other  held  roughly  in  the  grasp  of 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  who  knelt  before  her,  his 
lute  fallen  at  his  side.  The  rose  which  she  had  worn 
in  her  hair  had  escaped  from  its  diamond  loop  and 
lay  upon  the  ground ;  the  delicate  gaze  d'or  of  her 
dress  was  torn  and  crushed. 

For  an  instant  Calvert  stood  in  the  shadow  of  one 
of  the  Grecian  columns  and  looked  at  the  scene  before 
him  in  sick  amazement.  So  it  was  to  Adrienne  that 
St.  Aulaire  was  singing  love-songs  in  this  isolated 
spot  at  midnight !  As  he  hesitated,  Monsieur  de  St. 
Aulaire  rose  from  his  knees. 

"  You  did  not  always  treat  me  with  such  contempt, 
Madame,"  he  said,  with  a  mocking  laugh,  "  and  by 
God,  I  have  no  mind  to  stand  it  now,"  and,  putting 
one  arm  around  her  quivering  shoulders  and  crush- 
ing in  his  the  hand  with  which  she  would  have  pushed 
him  from  her,  he  leaned  lightly  over  to  kiss  her. 

As  he  did  so,  Calvert  stepped  quietly  forward  ('twas 
wonderful  how,  though  he  always  seemed  to  move 
slowly,  he  was  ever  in  the  right  place  at  the  right 
time)  and,  seizing  St.  Aulaire  by  the  collar,  hurled 
him  backward  with  such  force  that  he  fell  heavily 
against  one  of  the  gleaming  marble  columns  and 
lay,  for  an  instant,  stunned  and  motionless.  Feel- 

196 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

ing  herself  thus  violently  released  from  St.  Aulaire's 
embrace,  Adrienne  sprang  back,  uttering  a  low  cry 
and  gazing  in  surprise  at  Calvert.  The  ease  with 
which  he  had  flung  off  the  larger  and  heavier  man 
aroused  her  wonder  as  well  as  her  admiration,  for 
she  never  imagined  Calvert's  slender,  boyish  figure  to 
be  possessed  of  so  much  brute  strength,  and,  since  the 
days  of  Hercules  and  Omphale,  brute  strength  in  man 
has  ever  appealed  to  woman.  Before  either  of  them 
could  speak,  St.  Aulaire  struggled  to  his  feet  and, 
wrenching  his  dress  sword  from  its  sheath,  staggered 
toward  Calvert,  thrusting  wildly  and  ineffectually  at 
him. 

"  Put  up  your  sword,  my  lord,"  says  Calvert, 
contemptuously,  knocking  up  the  silver  blade  with  his 
own,  which  he  had  drawn.  "  We  cannot  fight  with 
these  toys.  Should  you  wish  to  pursue  this  affair 
with  swords  or  pistols,  if  you  prefer  the  English  mode, 
you  know  where  to  find  me.  And  now,  begone,  sir !  " 

The  quiet  sternness  with  which  the  young  man 
spoke  filled  Adrienne  with  fresh  wonder  and  some- 
thing like  fear.  She  glanced  from  Calvert 's  face, 
with  its  look  of  calm  authority,  to  St.  Aulaire's  con- 
vulsed countenance.  The  nobleman's  face,  usually 
so  debonair,  was  now  white  and  seamed  with  anger. 
All  the  hidden  evil  traits  of  his  soul  came  out  and 
stamped  themselves  visibly  on  his  countenance,  in 
that  heat  of  passion,  like  characters  written  in  a 
secret  ink  and  brought  near  a  flame. 

"  Monsieur  1'Americain,"  he  said,  lowering  his  point 
and  coming  up  quite  close  to  Calvert,  "  Monsieur,  you 

197 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

have  a  trick  of  being  damnably  mal  apropos.  I  have 
had  a  lesson  from  you  in  skating  and  one  in  singing, 
but  I  need  none  in  love-making.  My  patience — never 
very  great,  I  fear — is  at  an  end,  sir !  This  intrusion, 
Monsieur  1'Americain,  is  unpardonable,"  he  went  on, 
recovering  his  composure  with  a  great  effort,  "  un- 
pardonable— unless,  indeed,  Monsieur  hoped  to  gain 
what  I  have  just  lost,"  he  added,  smiling  his  brill- 
iant, insolent  smile,  though  he  had  to  half-kneel  for 
support  upon  the  marble  edge  of  the  fountain. 

"  Silence ! "  said  Calvert,  his  white  face  filled  with 
such  sudden  horror  and  disgust  that  Monsieur  de  St. 
Aulaire  burst  out  laughing. 

"  A  poor  compliment  to  you,  Madame,"  he  said  to 
Adrienne. 

At  the  words  and  the  mocking  laughter,  Calvert's 
wrath  blazed  up  uncontrollably.  He  went  over  to 
St.  Aulaire,  where  he  knelt  on  the  basin,  and,  catch- 
ing him  again  by  the  collar,  shook  him  to  and  fro 
without  mercy.  . 

"  Another  word,  sir,  and  I  will  toss  you  into  this 
fountain  with  the  hope  that  you  break  your  head 
against  the  bottom  !  And  now,  go !  " 

The  water  in  the  marble  basin  was  not  very  deep, 
but  St.  Aulaire  did  not  covet  a  ducking — 'twould  be 
too  good  a  theme  for  jests  at  his  expense ;  and 
though  he  could  still  laugh  and  talk  insolently,  he 
felt  weak  and  in  no  condition  to  prevent  Calvert  from 
carrying  out  his  threat.  Retreat  seemed  to  be  all 
left  to  him.  With  a  sour  smile  he  got  upon  his  feet, 
and,  making  an  elaborate  courtesy  to  Madame  de 

198 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

St.  Andre,  passed  through  the  colonnade  from  the 
bosquet. 

When  he  had  quite  disappeared,  Calvert  turned  to 
the  young  girl.  She  still  stood  by  the  bubbling  foun- 
tain, pale  between  anger  and  fright,  one  hand  yet 
pressed  against  her  throat,  the  other  clenched  and 
hanging  by  her  side.  At  her  feet  the  white  rose  lay 
crushed  and  unheeded.  As  Calvert  looked  at  the 
wilful,  beautiful  girl  before  him,  he  comprehended 
for  the  first  time  that  he  loved  her — loved  and  mis- 
trusted her.  The  shock  of  surprise  that  this  cruel 
conviction  brought  with  it  held  him  rooted  to  the  spot 
for  an  instant.  Love  had  ever  been  a  vague  dream 
to  him,  but  certainly  no  woman  could  be  further  from 
his  ideal  than  this  brilliant,  volatile,  worldly  creature. 

A  smile  rippled  over  her  face,  to  which  the  color 
was  gradually  returning. 

"  Well  done,  sir !  I  am  only  sorry  you  did  not 
drop  him  into  the  fountain,  as  you  threatened. 
;Twould  have  been  a  light  enough  punishment,  and, 
for  once,  we  should  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  in  something  besides  his  cus- 
tomary immaculate  attire !  "  and  she  laughed  faintly. 

As  for  Calvert,  he  could  not  reply  to  her  light 
banter,  but  stood  looking  at  her  in  silence. 

"  Well,  sir,  why  do  you  look  at  me  so  ?  "  demanded 
Adrienne,  petulantly,  after  an  instant.  "  Have  you 
nothing  to  say  ?  But,  indeed,  I  know  you  have !  I 
can  see  you  are  dying  to  rebuke  me  for  this  indiscretion 
— this  stroll  with  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire !  "  and  she 
gave  him  a  mutinous  side  glance  and  tapped  the 

199 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

gravel  with  her  satin  slipper.  "  One  who  dares 
express  himself  so  frankly  before  the  King  will  not 
hesitate  to  say  his  mind  to  a  woman !  " 

"  Ah,  Madame,  I  fear,  indeed,  that  you  can  never 
forgive  me  for  having  betrayed  my  republican  senti- 
ments so  freely  in  the  presence  of  your  monarch — un- 
conscious though  I  was  of  doing  so." 

"  Oh,  no,  Monsieur,  you  mistake/'  said  Adrienne, 
maliciously.  "  I  can  forgive  you  for  having  betrayed 
your  republican  sentiments,  but  I  can  never  forgive 
the  King  for  not  having  properly  rebuked  them !  " 

At  these  words  Calvert  let  his  gaze  rest  on  the 
haughty  face  before  him  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
making  a  profound  obeisance,  he  said,  quietly: 

"  When  you  are  quite  ready,  Madame,  permit  me 
to  escort  you  back  to  the  palace."  He  spoke  with 
such  formality  and  dignity  that  Adrienne  blushed  scar- 
let and  bit  her  lips. 

"  Before  I  accept  Monsieur  Calvert's  escort,  I  wish 
to  explain — "  but  Calvert  interrupted  her. 

"  No  explanation  is  necessary,  Madame,  surely," 
he  said,  a  little  wearily. 

She  blushed  yet  more  deeply  and  raised  her  head 
imperiously.  "  You  are  right,  Monsieur.  'Tis  not 
necessary,  as  you  say,  but  I  will  accept  no  favor — not 
even  a  safe-conduct  back  to  the  palace — from  one 
whose  manner  " — she  hesitated,  as  if  at  a  loss  for 
words — "  whose  manner  is  an  accusation.  But  though 
I  am  hurt,  I  should  not  be  surprised  by  it,  sir !  "  she 
went  on,  advancing  a  step  and  drawing  herself  up 
proudly.  "  It  has  ever  been  your  attitude  toward  me. 

200 


CALVERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

From  that  first  night  we  met  I  have  felt  myself  under 
the  ban  of  your  disapproval.  Poor  Monsieur  de  St. 
Aulaire  and  I !  "  and  she  laughed  mockingly. 

"  I  pray  you,  Madame,  do  not  name  yourself  in  the 
same  breath  with  that  scoundrel !  "  said  Calvert,  in 
a  low  voice. 

"  And  why  not,  Monsieur  ?  We  are  both  of  the 
same  world,  we  have  both  been  brought  up  after  the 
same  fashion,  we  are  probably  much  alike.  Ah,  Mon- 
sieur," she  went  on,  defiantly,  "  is  it  the  Quaker  in 
you — Monsieur  Jefferson  has  told  me  that  your 
mother  was  a  Quakeress — that  makes  you  hate  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  so?  Is  Paris,  then,  so 
much  more  wicked  than  your  Virginia?  Are  we  so 
different  from  the  women  of  your  world  ?  "  She  went 
up  to  him  and  put  her  beautiful  face  close  to  his  dis- 
turbed one.  "  Are  yon  so  different  from  the  men  of 
our  world,  Monsieur,  or  is  it  only  those  grand  yeux 
of  yours,  with  their  serious  expression,  that  make  you 
seem  different — and  better  ? "  and  her  eyes  smiled 
mockingly  into  his.  "  Pshaw,  sir,  you  make  me  feel 
like  a  naughty  school-girl  when  you  reprove  me  so. 
Upon  my  word,  I  don't  know  why  I  submit  to  it ! 
Though  I  am  younger  than  you,  sir,  I  feel  a  hundred 
years  older  in  experience — and  yet — and  yet — there  is 
something  about  you — "  She  broke  off  and  again 
tapped  the  gravel  impatiently  with  her  foot. 

"  I  have  said  nothing,  Madame."  Calvert  was 
quiet  and  unsmiling. 

"  No,  Monsieur,  'tis  that  I  most  object  to — you  keep 
silence,  but  your  eyes  reprove  me.  Oh,  I  have  seen 

20 1 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

you  looking  at  me  with  that  reproving  glance  many 
times  when  you  did  not  know  I  saw  it !  Am  I  to 
blame,  sir,  for  being  of  the  great  world  of  which  you 
do  not  approve?  Am  I  to  be  rebuked — even  silently 
— for  coming  here  with  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  by 
you,  Monsieur  ?  "  Suddenly  she  dropped  her  defiant 
tone  and,  leaning  against  the  edge  of  the  marble 
basin,  looked  intently  and  silently  at  the  splashing 
water  gleaming  white  in  the  moonlight. 

"  Can  you  not  see  ? — Do  you  not  understand,  Mon- 
sieur ?  "  she  said  at  length,  hurriedly,  and  in  a  low 
voice.  "  Do  not  misjudge  me.  I  have  been  brought 
up  in  this  court  life,  which  is  the  life  of  intrigue  and 
dissimulation  and  wickedness — yes,  wickedness  !  We 
know  nothing  else.  There  is  no  one  in  our  world 
so  pure  as  to  be  above  suspicion.  The  walls  of  this 
great  palace,  thick  and  massive  as  they  are,  cannot 
keep  out  the  whispers  of  calumny  against  the  Queen 
herself.  Is  it  so  different  in  your  country?  Some- 
times I  abhor  this  life  and  would  hear  of  another. 
Sometimes  I  hate  all  this,"  she  went  on,  speaking  as 
if  more  to  herself  than  to  Calvert.  "  As  for  Monsieur 
de  St.  Aulaire,  I  loathe  him !  I  thank  you,  Mon- 
sieur, for  ridding  me  of  his  presence.  If  I  seemed 
ungrateful,  believe  me,  I  was  not !  'Tis  but  my  pride 
which  stands  no  rebuke.  But  it  is  late !  Will  you  do 
me  the  favor,  Monsieur,  of  taking  me  back  to  the 
Galerie  des  Glaces  ?  "  She  turned  her  eyes  away  from 
the  fountain,  at  which  she  had  gazed  steadily  while 
speaking,  and  looked  at  Calvert.  He  saw  that  they 
were  full  of  tears.  The  mask  was  down  again.  There 

202 


CALYERT  ATTENDS  THE  KING'S  LEVEE 

was  an  humbled,  shamed  expression  on  that  lovely 
face  usually  so  imperious.  The  look  of  appeal  and 
distress  went  to  his  heart  like  a  knife.  She  made  him 
think  of  some  brilliant  bird  cruelly  wounded. 

For  an  instant  she  looked  at  him  so,  and  then 
resuming  her  imperious  air  with  a  palpable  effort  and 
forcing  a  smile  to  her  lips,  she  gathered  up  her  trailing 
gown  and  passed  slowly  beneath  the  colonnade,  Cal- 
vert  following  at  her  side.  As  she  turned  away,  he 
stooped  quickly  and  picked  up  the  white  rose  she 
had  worn  where  it  had  fallen  on  the  path. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE    FOURTH    AND    THE    FOURTEENTH    OF    JULY 

FOR  the  next  few  weeks  Mr.  Calvert  had  little  time 
— and,  indeed,  little  inclination — to  see  Adrienne. 
The  discovery  that  he  loved  her  had  brought  pain, 
not  happiness  with  it.  He  felt  the  gulf  too  wide 
between  them,  both  in  circumstance  and  character, 
to  be  bridged.  How  could  he,  an  untitled  American, 
an  unknown  young  gentleman  of  small  fortune,  pre- 
tend to  the  hand  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  most 
aristocratic,  and  most  capricious  women  in  Paris  ?  He 
smiled  to  himself  as  he  mentally  compared  Adrienne 
with  the  simple  young  beauties  of  Virginia  he  had 
known — with  Miss  Molly  Crenshawe  and  Miss  Peggy 
Gary — and  he  wondered  a  little  bitterly  why  he  could 
not  have  fallen  happily  in  love  with  some  one  of  his 
own  countrywomen,  whose  heart  he  could  have  won 
and  kept,  instead  of  falling  a  victim  to  the  charms  of  a 
dazzling  creature  quite  beyond  his  reach.  With  that 
clear  good  sense  which  was  ever  one  of  his  most  dis- 
tinguishing traits,  he  fully  comprehended  the  diffi- 
culties, the  impossibility  of  a  happy  ending  of  his 
passion,  and,  having  no  desire  to  play  the  role  of  the 
disconsolate  lover,  he  again  determined  to  see  as  little 
of  Adrienne  as  possible. 

For  a   while  circumstances   favored   this   decision. 
204 


JULY   FOURTH   AND   FOURTEENTH 

The  French  government,  being  entirely  absorbed  in 
domestic  affairs,  Mr.  Jefferson  found  himself  with 
more  leisure  than  he  had  known  for  some  time,  and, 
being  enormously  interested  in  the  organization  of  the 
States-General,  and  realizing  that  their  proceedings 
were  of  the  first  order  of  importance,  he  drove  almost 
daily  from  Paris  to  Versailles  to  assist  at  their  stormy 
deliberations.  Mr.  Calvert  attended  him  thither  at 
his  express  wish,  for  he  had  the  young  man's  diplo- 
matic education  greatly  at  heart,  and  desired  him  to 
profit  by  the  debates  in  the  Salle  des  Menus.  In 
this  way  the  young  gentleman  found  his  days  com- 
pletely filled,  while  the  evenings  were  frequently  as 
busily  occupied  in  the  preparation  of  letters  for  the 
American  packet,  dictated  by  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
narrating  the  day's  events.  Of  things  to  be  writ- 
ten there  was  no  lack.  Day  after  day,  through  the 
hot  months  of  May  and  June,  events  succeeded  one 
another  rapidly.  Tempestuous  debates  among  the 
noblesse,  the  clergy,  and  the  tiers  etat,  upon  the 
question  of  the  verification  of  their  powers,  sepa- 
rately and  together,  were  followed  by  proposition 
and  counter-proposition,  by  commissions  of  concilia- 
tion which  did  not  conciliate,  by  royal  letters  com- 
manding a  fusion  of  the  three  orders,  by  secessions 
from  the  nobility  and  clergy  to  the  grimly  determined 
and  united  tiers,  by  courtly  intrigues  at  Marly  for 
the  King's  favor  in  behalf  of  the  nobles,  by  royal 
seances  and  ruses  which,  instead  of  postponing,  only 
hastened  the  evil  hour,  by  the  famous  oath  of  the 
Tennis  Court,  and  by  the  triumph  of  the  third  estate. 

205 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

And  in  this  distracting  clash  of  opposing  political 
forces,  amid  this  first  crash  and  downfall  of  the  ancient 
order  of  things,  there  passed,  almost  unnoticed,  save 
by  the  weeping  Queen  and  harassed  King,  who  hung 
over  his  pillow,  the  last  sigh,  the  last  childish  words 
of  the  Dauphin.  The  tired  little  royal  head,  which 
had  been  greeted  eight  years  before  with  such  accla- 
mations of  enthusiastic  delight,  dropped  wearily  and 
all  unnoticed  for  the  last  time,  happily  ignorant  of  the 
martyr's  crown  it  had  escaped.  Calvert  had  the  news 
from  Madame  de  Montmorin  when  he  went  to  pay 
his  respects  to  her  on  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  June, 
and  in  imagination  he  saw,  over  and  over  again,  the 
lovely  face  of  the  Queen  distorted  with  unavailing 
grief. 

All  these  public  occurrences  which  filled  the  hurry- 
ing days  were  reported  in  Mr.  Jefferson's  long  letters 
to  General  Washington,  to  the  Secretary  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  Mr.  Jay,  to  Mr.  Madison,  Mr.  Carmichael, 
and  other  friends  in  America,  whom  he  knew  to  be 
deeply  interested  in  the  trend  of  French  affairs. 
Indeed,  he  knew  fully  whereof  he  wrote,  for,  although 
in  that  summer  of  '89  the  position  of  the  United 
States  in  relation  to  Europe  was  anything  but  envia- 
ble, though  we  were  deeply  in  debt  and  our  credit 
almost  gone,  though  England  and  Spain  turned  us 
the  cold  shoulder,  though  our  enemies  were  diligently 
circulating  damaging  stories  of  the  disunion,  the 
bankruptcy,  the  agitation  in  American  affairs,  yet 
so  friendly  was  the  French  government  to  us,  so 
deep  the  personal  respect  and  admiration  for  Mr. 

206 


JULY   FOURTH  AND   FOURTEENTH 

Jefferson  as  the  representative  of  the  infant  repub- 
lic, that  he  was  consulted  by  the  leaders  of  all 
parties  and  received  the  confidences  of  the  most  influ- 
ential men  of  the  day.  So  close,  indeed,  was  his 
connection  with  the  ministers  in  power  that,  during 
the  early  days  of  June  and  in  pursuance  of  an  idea 
which  had  occurred  to  him  during  a  conversation  with 
Lafayette,  Mr.  Short,  and  Monsieur  de  St.  Etienne, 
he  drew  up  a  paper  for  the  consideration  of  the 
King,  which,  if  it  had  received  the  royal  sanction, 
might  have  produced  the  best  results.  It  was  a  char- 
ter of  those  rights  which  the  King  was  willing,  nay, 
glad,  to  grant,  but  it  was  Mr.  Jefferson's  earnest 
conviction  that  Louis  should  come  forward  with  this 
charter  of  his  own  free  will  and  offer  it  to  his  people, 
to  be  signed  by  himself  and  every  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Assembly.  But  the  King's  timidity  and  the 
machinations  of  Monsieur  and  the  Comte  d'Artois 
prevented  this  plan  from  coming  to  anything.  Mr. 
Jefferson,  thinking,  perhaps,  that  his  zeal  had  over- 
stepped his  discretion,  refused  again  to  take  an  active 
part  in  the  politics  of  the  day,  and  declined  the  invita- 
tion of  the  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux  to  attend  the  de- 
liberations of  the  committee  for  the  "  first  drafting  " 
of  a  constitution. 

"  My  mission  is  to  the  King  as  Chief  Magistrate  of 
France,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson  to  His  Grace  of  Bordeaux, 
"  and  deeply  as  I  am  interested  in  the  affairs  of  your 
country,  my  duties  concern  my  own.  But  I  have 
requested  from  Congress  a  leave  of  absence  for  a 
few  months,  that  I  may  return  to  America  and  set- 

207 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

tie  some  important  private  business,  and  as  General 
Washington  and  other  friends  will  be  only  too  anx- 
ious to  hear  a  detailed  and  recent  account  of  the 
progress  of  events  here,  I  shall  esteem  it  both  my 
duty  and  pleasure  to  acquaint  myself  with  them  as 
fully  as  may  be,  without  transcending  the  limits  of 
my  office." 

This  leave  of  absence  which  Mr.  Jefferson  had 
solicited  for  some  time  was  anxiously  awaited,  but 
packet  after  packet  arrived  without  it.  It  had  been 
his  hope  to  receive  the  authority  of  Congress  for  his 
departure  during  the  early  spring,  that  he  might  re- 
turn to  Virginia,  leaving  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Cal- 
vert  and  Mr.  Short,  and  return  before  cold  weather 
set  in  again,  but  the  end  of  June  was  at  hand  and  still 
no  word  from  Congress. 

As  it  was  evident  that  Mr.  Jefferson  was  not  to 
get  away  from  Paris  for  some  time,  he  determined 
to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July  at  the  Legation  with 
proper  ceremony,  and  invited  quite  a  little  company 
to  dinner  for  that  day.  Among  the  guests  were 
Madame  la  Duchesse  d'Azay,  Adrienne,  Monsieur 
and  Madame  de  Montmorin,  Monsieur  and  Madame 
de  Lafayette,  Madame  de  Tesse,  Mr.  Morris,  Beau- 
fort, Calvert,  and  Mr.  Short. 

The  Duchess  of  Azay  had  accepted  her  invitation 
with  characteristic  brusqueness. 

"  I  don't  approve  of  your  Fourth  of  July,  Mon- 
sieur Jefferson,"  she  said,  "  but  I  always  approve 
of  a  good  dinner,  and  your  wines  are  so  excellent 
that  I  dare  say  I  shall  drink  your  toasts,  too." 

208 


JULY   FOURTH  AND  FOURTEENTH 

"  I  promise  you  there  shall  be  none  to  offend  the 
most  ardent  royalist,"  returned  Mr.  Jefferson,  laugh- 
ing at  the  old  woman's  sturdy  independence.  And  so 
she  had  come,  and  Madame  de  St.  Andre  with  her, 
though  Adrienne,  too,  was  a  stanch  royalist,  and  had 
not  been  carried  away  by  the  popular  enthusiasm 
for  liberty  and  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  which  was 
spreading  like  wildfire  through  all  ranks  of  Parisian 
society. 

"  I  am  here,  not  because  I  am  so  greatly  in  love 
with  your  fine  American  principles,"  she  said  to 
Calvert,  who  was  seated  beside  her  at  the  table,  "  but 
because  I  like  your  Mr.  Jefferson.  For  myself,  I 
vastly  prefer  a  king  and  a  court,  and  I  like  titles 
and  rank  and  power — all  of  which  is  heresy  in  your 
American  ears,  is  it  not  ?  "  she  asked,  with  a  perverse 
look.  "  However,  Henri's  enthusiasm  is  enough  for 
us  both,"  she  said,  smiling  a  little  scornfully  at  her 
brother,  who,  indeed,  was  quite  wild  with  enthusiasm, 
and  was  on  his  feet  drinking  Lafayette's  toast  of 
"  Long  life  and  prosperity  to  the  United  States !  " 

"  Get  up,  Ned !  "  he  says  to  Calvert.  "  We  are 
drinking  to  your  country !  We  ought  to  have  a  toast 
to  Yorktown — see,  Mr.  Morris  is  going  to  give  it  to 
us  now — '  The  French  at  Yorktown  ! ' 

But  there  was  another  toast  still  more  vociferously 
greeted,  for  the  long-delayed  American  packet  hav- 
ing arrived  three  days  before  at  Havre,  Mr.  Jefferson 
was  that  morning  in  receipt  of  letters  from  Mr.  Jay 
and  others  containing  news  of  the  first  importance. 
It  was  nothing  less  than  the  announcement  of  the 

209 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

election  of  General  Washington  to  the  first  Presidency 
of  the  United  States,  and  of  his  inauguration  on  the 
1 3th  of  April  in  New  York  City. 

"  '  The  oath  was  administered  by  Chancellor  Liv- 
ingston/ "  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  reading  from  Mr.  Jay's 
letter,  " '  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of 
people  assembled  to  witness  the  inauguration.  The 
President,  appearing  upon  the  balcony,  bowed  again 
and  again  to  the  cheering  multitude,  but  could  scarcely 
speak  for  emotion.'  'Tis  a  strange  and  happy  coinci- 
dence that  we  should  have  this  news  on  this  day.  I 
give  you  '  President  Washington !  ' "  says  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, solemnly. 

There  were  tears  of  joy  in  Lafayette's  eyes  as  he 
drank  the  toast. 

"  It  makes  me  think  of  that  last  night  at  Monti- 
cello,  Ned,"  he  said,  turning  to  Calvert,  "  when  we 
toasted  General  Washington  and  bade  farewell  to 
Mr.  Jefferson." 

"  'Tis  a  far  cry  from  Paris  to  Monticello,  Marquis," 
said  Calvert,  smiling,  "  and  'tis  a  little  strange  that 
we  should  all  be  gathered  here  as  we  were  there,  dis- 
cussing our  dear  General." 

"  And  so  your  demi-god,  your  General  Washington, 
is  elected  to  the  Presidency,"  said  Adrienne,  speak- 
ing to  Calvert.  ' '  'Tis  unnecessary  to  ask  whether  the 
choice  meets  with  your  approval." 

'  There  could  be  none  other,  Madame,"  returned 
Calvert. 

"  You  are  a  loyal  admirer  of  General  Washington's, 
Monsieur.  I  see  you  know  how  to  approve  as  well 

210 


JULY   FOURTH   AND   FOURTEENTH 

as  to  rebuke.  'Tis  much  pleasanter  to  be  approved 
of  than  to  be  rebuked,  as  I  know  by  personal  expe- 
rience,'' said  Adrienne,  with  a  slight  blush  and  a  half 
glance  at  Calvert.  She  was  so  lovely  as  she  spoke, 
there  was  such  sunny  laughter  in  her  blue  eyes,  that 
Calvert  gazed  at  her,  lost  in  guilty  wonder  as  to 
how  he  could  ever  have  doubted  this  beautiful  crea- 
ture, how  he  could  ever  have  condemned  her  by 
a  thought.  The  inscrutable  look  in  his  serious  eyes 
embarrassed  her. 

"  Of  what  are  you  thinking,  Monsieur  ?  "  she  asked, 
after  an  instant's  silence. 

"  I  was  wondering  who  could  have  the  audacity  to 
rebuke  Madame  de  St.  Andre." 

:  'Twas  a  very  rash  young  gentleman  from  Gen- 
eral Washington's  country,"  returned  Adrienne,  smil- 
ing suddenly,  "  who,  by  his  courage,  saved  Madame 
de  St.  Andre  from  the  consequences  of  a  foolish 
action,  and  who  had  the  still  greater  courage  to 
silently,  but  unmistakably,  show  his  disapprobation 
of  her." 

1  'Tis  impossible  that  he  should  be  a  fellow-coun- 
tryman of  mine,  Madame,"  said  Calvert,  smiling,  too. 
"'  It  would  indeed  be  a  rash  and  ill-considered  person 
who  could  find  fault  with  Madame  de  St.  Andre." 

"  Another  compliment,  Monsieur  Calvert !  That  is 
the  second  one  you  have  given  me.  If  you  are  not 
more  careful  I  shall  begin  to  doubt  your  sincerity! 
I  am  not  jesting,  sir,"  she  says,  suddenly  serious. 
"  I  know  not  quite  why  I  trust  you  so  implicitly,  but 
so  it  is,  and,  as  sincerity  is  a  rare  virtue  in  our  world, 

211 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

I  should  hate  to  lose  my  belief  in  yours.  It  takes 
no  very  keen  vision  to  see  my  faults,  sir.  I  recognize 
and  deplore  them,"  and  she  looked  at  the  young  man 
in  so  winning  and  frank  a  fashion  as  she  rose  from 
the  table,  that  Calvert  thought  to  himself  for  the  hun- 
dredth time  that  he  had  never  seen  anyone  so  incom- 
parably beautiful  and  charming. 

Although  Paris  was  unbearably  hot  and  dusty  in 
that  month  of  July,  all  the  world  stayed  in  town  or 
drove  no  farther  than  Versailles  to  attend  the  meet- 
ings of  the  National  Assembly.  Political  excitement 
and  interest  were  intense,  and  were  stimulated  every 
day  by  the  events  taking  place.  But  through  it  all 
the  higher  classes  feasted  and  made  merry,  as  though 
bent  on  literally  obeying  the  biblical  injunction.  Mr. 
Morris,  whose  success  in  society  continued  prodigious, 
could  scarce  find  the  time  for  his  numerous  engage- 
ments, and  was  seen  everywhere,  often  in  company 
with  Mr.  Calvert,  of  whom  he  was  extremely  fond. 
Indeed,  he  urged  upon  Calvert  the  acceptance  of 
many  invitations  which  the  latter  would  have  de- 
clined, having  an  affectionate  regard  for  the  young 
man  and  a  pride  in  the  popularity  which  Mr.  Cal- 
vert had  won  absolutely  without  effort  and  in  spite 
of  the  lack  of  all  brilliant  social  qualities.  Wherever 
they  went  Madame  de  St.  Andre  was  of  the  party. 
Perhaps  'twas  this  fact,  rather  than  a  wish  to  com- 
ply with  Mr.  Morris's  requests,  that  induced  Cal- 
vert to  accept  the  many  invitations  extended  to 
him,  and,  in  the  constant  delight  and  charm  of 
Adrienne's  presence,  his  caution  deserted  him  and 

212 


JULY  FOURTH  AND  FOURTEENTH 

he  gradually  found  himself  forgetting  the  wide  gulf 
between  them,  of  which  he  had  thought  so  much  at 
first,  and  eagerly  watching  for  her  wherever  he  went. 
He  was  engaged  for  innumerable  pleasure-parties, 
dinners  a  la  matelote,  evenings  with  Madame  de 
Chastellux,  when  the  Abbe  Delille  read  his  verses, 
the  theatre  and  opera  with  Gardell  and  Vestris,  about 
whom  all  Paris  was  wild,  and  water-picnics  on  the 
Seine.  In  early  June,  at  the  express  wish  of  the 
Duchesse  d'Orleans,  Mr.  Calvert  and  Mr.  Morris, 
with  Madame  d'Azay  and  Adrienne,  made  a  visit  to 
Her  Highness  at  Raincy.  The  gardens  and  park  of 
this  old  castle  were  so  beautiful  that  Calvert  would 
have  liked  nothing  better  than  to  linger  in  them  with 
Adrienne  for  all  the  long  summer  day,  but  the 
Duchess,  being  very  devout,  demanded  the  presence 
of  her  guests  in  the  chapel  of  the  chateau  to  hear 
mass.  Mr.  Calvert  read  another  sign  of  the  times  in 
the  conduct  of  Monsieur  de  Segur  and  Monsieur  de 
Cubieres  during  mass,  who  furnished  immoderate 
amusement  to  Her  Highness's  guests  by  putting 
lighted  candles  in  the  pockets  of  the  Abbe  Delille 
while  he  was  on  his  knees. 

"  Truly  an  edifying  example  to  the  domestics  oppo- 
site and  the  villagers  worshipping  below,"  thought 
Calvert  to  himself.  "  If  they  but  knew  what  triflers 
these  beings  are  whom  they  look  up  to  as  their  su- 
periors, their  respect  would  be  transformed  to  con- 
tempt." And  this  thought  occurred  to  him  again 
when,  at  dinner,  which  was  served  under  a  large 
marquise  on  the  terrace  of  the  chateau,  a  crowd  of  the 

213 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

common  people  gathered  at  a  respectful  distance  and 
looked  enviously  at  the  exalted  company  as  it  dined. 

It  was  at  one  of  these  numerous  pleasure-parties 
with  which  Paris  sought  to  banish  care  and  anxiety  that 
Mr.  Calvert  and  Mr.  Morris  first  heard  the  astound- 
ing news  of  Necker's  dismissal,  which  woke  the  city 
from  its  false  trance  of  security.  They  were  at  the 
hotel  of  the  Marechal  de  Castries,  whither  they  had 
driven  for  breakfast,  when  his  frightened  secretary, 
calling  him  from  the  table,  told  him  the  news  which 
he  had  just  heard.  Monsieur  de  Castries,  containing 
himself  with  difficulty  during  the  rest  of  the  meal,  at 
which  was  gathered  a  large  and  mixed  company, 
drew  the  American  gentlemen  aside  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble and  confided  to  them  the  disastrous  intelligence 
he  had  just  received. 

"  The  King  sent  Monsieur  de  la  Luzerne  with  the 
message,"  he  said.  "  He  found  Necker  at  dinner, 
and,  exacting  a  promise  of  absolute  secrecy,  delivered 
to  him  the  King's  decree.  Without  a  word  Monsieur 
Necker  proposed  to  his  wife  a  visit  to  some  friends, 
but  went  instead  to  his  place  at  St.  Ouen,  and  at  mid- 
night set  out  for  Brussels." 

"  What  madness !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Morris.  "  Does 
the  King,  then,  not  realize  that  he  is  no  longer  the 
power  in  the  state?  The  National  Assembly  will 
not  tolerate  Necker's  dismissal.  Will  you  not  go 
instantly  to  Versailles  and  try  to  undo  this  fatal 
blunder  of  the  King?  "  he  asked.  Monsieur  de  Cas- 
tries shook  his  head  despondingly. 

"  Tis  too  late." 

214 


JULY   FOURTH  AND  FOURTEENTH 

"  Come,  Ned,  we  will  go  to  Mr.  Jefferson's  and 
see  whether  he  has  heard  this  terrible  news,"  said 
Mr.  Morris,  who  was  deeply  affected  by  the  intelli- 
gence. 

Together  they  entered  Mr.  Morris's  carriage  and 
drove  toward  the  Legation.  As  they  made  their  way 
along  the  boulevards,  they  were  astonished  to  see 
pedestrians  and  carriages  suddenly  turn  about  and 
come  toward  them.  In  a  few  moments  a  troop  of 
German  cavalry,  with  drawn  sabres,  approached  at 
a  hand  gallop,  and,  on  reaching  the  Place  Louis 
Quinze,  Mr.  Morris  and  Mr.  Calvert  found  them- 
selves confronted  by  an  angry  mob  of  several  hundred 
persons,  who  had  intrenched  themselves  among  the 
great  blocks  of  stone  piled  there  for  the  new  bridge 
building.  At  the  same  instant,  on  looking  back,  they 
perceived  that  the  cavalry  had  faced  about  and  were 
returning,  so  that  they  found  themselves  hemmed  in 
between  the  troops  and  the  menacing  mob.  Many 
other  carriages  were  caught  in  the  same  cul-de-sac, 
and  Calvert,  looking  out,  saw  the  pale  face  of  Madame 
de  St.  Andre  at  the  window  of  her  carriage  beside 
him.  Her  coachman  was  trying  in  vain  to  get  his 
horses  through  the  crowd  and  was  looking  confound- 
edly frightened.  In  an  instant  Calvert  was  out  of 
his  carriage  and  at  her  coach-door. 

"  You  must  get  in  Mr.  Morris's  carriage,  Madame," 
he  says,  briefly,  holding  the  door  open  and  extend- 
ing a  hand  to  Adrienne.  At  his  tone  of  command, 
without  a  word,  she  stepped  quickly  from  her  coach 
into  that  of  Mr.  Morris. 

215 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Heavens,  Madame !  are  you  alone  in  this  mob  ?  " 
asks  Mr.  Morris,  in  much  concern. 

"  Yes — I  have  just  left  my  aunt  in  the  rue  St. 
Honore,"  says  Adrienne,  sinking  down  on  the  cush- 
ions. Mr.  Morris  put  his  head  out  of  the  window. 

"  Drive  on,  Martin !  "  he  calls  out.  "  To  Mr. 
Jefferson's."  But  it  is  impossible  for  the  plunging 
horses  to  move,  so  dense  is  the  mob  and  so  threat- 
ening its  attitude. 

"  They  are  arming  themselves  with  stones,"  he 
says,  looking  out  again.  "  We  are  in  a  pretty  pass 
between  this  insane  mob  and  the  cavalry,  which  is 
advancing !  "  Suddenly  he  bursts  the  door  open  and, 
standing  on  the  coach-step,  so  that  he  is  well  seen, 
he  calls  out,  "  Drive  on  there,  Martin !  Who  stops 
an  American's  carriage  in  Paris  ?  " 

As  he  made  his  appearance  at  the  coach-door  a 
shout  went  up,  and  a  man  standing  near  and  point- 
ing to  Mr.  Morris's  wooden  stump,  cries  out,  "  Make 
way  for  the  American  patriot  crippled  in  the  Revo- 
lution !  "  At  his  words  a  great  cheer  goes  up,  and 
Mr.  Morris,  scrambling  back  into  the  coach,  bursts 
out  into  such  a  hearty  laugh  that  Calvert,  and 
Adrienne,  too,  in  spite  of  her  fright,  cannot  refrain 
from  joining  in  it.  The  people  fall  back  and  a  lane 
is  formed,  through  which  Martin  urges  his  horses  at 
a  gallop. 

"  'Twill  be  a  good  story  to  tell  Mr.  Jefferson,"  says 
Mr.  Morris,  when  he  can  speak.  "  I  think  this 
wooden  stump  has  never  done  such  yeoman  service 
as  to-day." 

216 


JULY   FOURTH  AND  FOURTEENTH 

"  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  that  was  my  friend  Ber- 
trand,"  says  Calvert,  looking  back  at  the  man  who 
had  started  the  cheer  for  Mr.  Morris. 

They  had  scarce  got  through  the  mob  when  the 
cavalry,  advancing,  were  met  by  a  shower  of  stones. 

''  The  captain  is  hit,"  says  Calvert,  still  looking 
out  of  the  coach-window.  Pale  with  fear,  Adrienne 
laid  her  hand  on  his  arm  and  Calvert  covered  it  with 
one  of  his.  In  a  few  minutes  they  were  out  of  sight 
of  the  fray  and,  driving  as  rapidly  as  possible  up  the 
Champs  Elysees,  were  soon  at  the  door  of  the  Le- 
gation. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  not  at  home,  but  in  a  few 
moments  he  came  in  with  the  account  of  having  been 
stopped  also  at  the  Place  Louis  Quinze  as  he  returned 
from  a  visit  to  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  and  a  con- 
firmation of  the  news  regarding  Necker's  dismissal. 

"  It  is  sufficiently  clear  with  what  indignation  the 
people  regard  the  presence  of  troops  in  the  city,"  he 
said,  "  and  by  to-morrow  they  will  make  known,  I 
have  no  doubt,  their  equally  bitter  indignation  at  the 
removal  of  Necker.  Affairs  are  coming  rapidly  to 
a  crisis ;  the  Palais  Royal  is  this  evening  in  a  state 
of  the  wildest  agitation,  so  d'Azay  has  just  told  me, 
and,  indeed,  the  city  is  not  safe,  even  on  the  boule- 
vards. I  shall  take  you  back,  Madame,"  he  went  on, 
turning  to  Adrienne.  "  I  believe  the  carriage  of  the 
American  Minister  will  be  treated  with  respect  even 
by  this  insane  mob." 

"  A  thousand  thanks,  Monsieur,"  said  Madame  de 
St.  Andre,  rising,  "  and,  as  it  is  late,  perhaps  we  had 

217 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

better  go  at  once,  although  I  hate  to  take  you  away 
from  Monsieur  Morris  and  Monsieur  Calvert." 

"  Oh,  as  for  me,  I  am  off  to  the  Club  to  hear  further 
details  of  the  riot  and  afterward  to  a  supper  with 
Madame  de  Flahaut.  And  as  for  Ned,  I  am  sure 
he  would  rather  a  thousand  times  escort  you  back 
to  the  rue  St.  Honore  than  to  sit  here  chatting  with 
an  old  fellow  like  myself,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  and  he 
went  off  limping  and  laughing,  leaving  the  others  to 
follow  quickly.  For,  in  truth,  it  was  late,  and  the 
disturbance  seemed  to  be  increasing  instead  of 
decreasing  as  the  night  wore  on.  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
Calvert  turned  into  the  Palais  Royal  on  their  way 
back,  after  leaving  Adrienne  safe  in  the  rue  St. 
Honore,  and  found  it  a  seething  mass  of  revolutionary- 
humanity,  as  d'Azay  had  reported.  The  agitation 
increased  all  during  the  following  day  of  the  I3th,  and 
on  the  1/j.th  was  struck  the  first  great  blow  which  re- 
sounded throughout  France.  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Cal- 
vert, who,  unconscious  of  the  disturbance  in  the 
distant  quarter  of  the  Bastille,  were  calling  at  the 
hotel  of  Monsieur  de  Corny,  had  the  particulars  from 
that  gentleman  himself.  He  came  in  hurriedly,  pale 
with  emotion  and  fear  and  haggard  with  anxiety. 

"  Tis  all  over,"  he  says  to  Mr.  Jefferson  when  he 
could  speak.  "  How  it  has  happened  God  only 
knows.  A  fearful  crime  has  been  committed.  The 
deputation,  of  which  I  was  one,  advanced,  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  to  have  speech  with  de  Launay,  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Bastile,  when  a  discharge  killed  several 
men  standing  near  us.  We  retired,  and  instantly  the 

218 


JULY   FOURTH  AND  FOURTEENTH 

great  throng  of  people — there  were,  God  knows,  how 
many  thousand  wretches  waiting  there — rushed  for- 
ward, and  are  even  now  in  possession  of  that  impreg- 
nable fortification.  Tis  incredible  how  'twas  done." 

"  And  de  Launay  ?  "  inquired  Calvert. 

"  He  has  been  beheaded  and  dragged  to  the  Place 
de  Greve,"  says  de  Corny,  gloomily.  "  Come,  if  you 
wish  to  see  the  work  of  destruction,"  and  he  rose 
hurriedly. 

Together  the  gentlemen  entered  Mr.  Jefferson's 
carriage,  which  was  waiting,  and  were  driven  along 
the  boulevards  toward  the  Bastille.  But  the  streets 
near  the  prison  were  so  crowded  with  spectators  and 
armed  ruffians  that  they  were  finally  forced  to  alight 
from  the  carriage,  which  was  left  in  the  Place  Royale, 
and  proceed  on  foot.  As  they  passed  Monsieur 
Beaumarchais's  garden,  they  came  upon  Mr.  Morris 
and  Madame  de  Flahaut,  who  had  also  driven  thither 
and  were  leaning  against  the  fence  looking  on  at  the 
work  of  demolition. 

"  You  should  have  been  here  some  moments  ago," 
said  Mr.  Morris.  "  Lafayette  has  just  ridden  by  with 
the  key  of  the  Bastille,  which  has  been  given  to  him 
and  which,  he  tells  me,  he  proposes  sending  to  Gen- 
eral Washington.  A  strange  gift !  " 

"  Why  strange  ?  "  inquired  Mr.  Jefferson.  "  'Tis 
an  emblem  of  hard-earned  liberty." 

"An  emblem  of  madness,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  with 
a  shrug.  "  However,  I  have  witnessed  some  thrilling 
scenes  in  this  madness.  But  an  hour  ago  a  fellow 
climbed  upon  the  great  iron  gate  and,  failing  to  bring 

219 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

it  down,  implored  his  comrades  to  pull  him  by  the 
legs,  thus  sustaining  the  rack.  He  had  the  courage 
and  strength  to  hold  on  until  his  limbs  were  torn 
from  the  sockets.  'Twould  make  a  great  painting, 
and  I  shall  suggest  the  idea  to  d'Angiviliers." 

"  Do  they  know  of  this  at  Versailles  ? "  asked 
Calvert. 

"  The  Due  de  Liancourt  passed  in  his  carriage  half 
an  hour  ago,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  "  on  his  way  to 
Versailles  to  inform  the  King.  Yesterday  it  was  the 
fashion  at  Versailles  not  to  believe  that  there  were 
any  disturbances  at  Paris.  I  presume  that  this  day's 
transactions  will  induce  a  conviction  that  all  is  not 
perfectly  quiet!  But,  even  with  this  awful  evidence, 
the  King  is  capable  of  not  being  convinced,  I  venture 
to  say."  He  was  quite  right  in  his  surmise,  and  'twas 
not  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  Monsieur 
de  Liancourt  was  able  to  force  his  way  into  the  King's 
bed-chamber  and  compel  His  Majesty  to  listen  to 
a  narrative  of  the  awful  events  of  the  day  in  Paris. 

In  the  meantime  crowds  of  the  greatest  ladies  and 
gentlemen  flocked  to  the  Place  de  la  Bastille  to  wit- 
ness the  strange  and  horrid  scenes  there  enacting, 
rubbing  elbows  with  the  armed  and  drunken  scum 
of  the  city,  and  only  retiring  when  night  hid  the  sight 
of  it  all  from  them.  It  was  amid  a  very  carnival  of 
mad  liberty,  of  flaring  lights  and  hideous  noises, 
of  fantastic  and  terrible  figures  thrusting  their  infu- 
riated countenances  in  at  the  coach-windows,  with 
a  hundred  orders  to  halt  and  to  move  on,  a  hundred 
demands  to  know  if  there  were  arms  in  the  carriage, 

220 


JULY   FOURTH  AND  FOURTEENTH 

that  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Calvert  finally  regained  the 
Champs  Elysees  and  the  American  Legation.  With 
the  next  day  the  foreign  troops  were  dismissed  by 
order  of  the  frightened  King,  and  Paris  had  an  armed 
Milice  Bourgeoise  of  forty  thousand  men,  at  the  head 
of  which,  to  Mr.  Jefferson's  satisfaction  and  Mr. 
Morris's  dismay,  Lafayette  was  placed  as  comman-. 
der-in-chief.  From  the  i6th  to  the  i8th  of  that  fatal 
July  twenty  noble  cowards,  among  them  Monsieur 
de  Broglie,  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  six  princes  of 
the  blood  royal,  including  the  Comte  d'Artois  and 
the  Princes  of  Conde  and  Conti,  fled  affrighted  before 
the  first  gust  of  the  storm  gathering  over  France. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

MONSIEUR  DE  LAFAYETTE  BRINGS  FRIENDS  TO  A  DIN- 
NER AT  THE   LEGATION 

IT  was  in  the  midst  of  the  alarms,  the  horror,  and 
feverish  agitation  following  hard  upon  the  taking  of 
the  Bastille  and  the  assassination  and  flight  of  so 
many  important  personages,  that  Mr.  Jefferson,  one 
evening,  received  from  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  a  hur- 
ried note,  requesting  a  dinner  for  himself  and  several 
friends.  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert,  who  were  dining 
with  Mr.  Jefferson,  would  have  retired,  that  the  com- 
pany might  be  alone,  but  Mohsieur  de  Lafayette, 
coming  in  almost  instantly,  urged  upon  the  gentle- 
men to  remain. 

"  Tis  to  be  a  political  deliberation,  at  which  we 
shall  be  most  happy  and  grateful  to  have  you  assist," 
he  said,  graciously,  for,  though  he  disliked  Mr.  Mor- 
ris, he  appreciated  his  abilities,  and  as  for  Calvert,  he 
both  liked  and  admired  the  young  man,  having  the 
greatest  confidence  in  his  good  sense  and  keen 
judgment. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  though  deeply  embarrassed  by  that 
thoughtlessness  which  made  the  American  Legation 
the  rendezvous  for  the  leaders  of  opposing  factions 
in  French  politics,  made  his  unexpected  guests  as 
welcome  as  possible,  but,  though  he  was  urged  again 

222 


A    DINNER  AT  THE   LEGATION 

and  again  to  express  himself  by  Lafayette  and  his 
friends — he  had  brought  with  him  some  of  the  most 
brilliant  and  most  influential  of  the  revolutionary 
leaders,  d'Azay,  Barnave,  Lameth,  Mounier,  and 
Duport — he  yet  remained  an  almost  silent  spectator 
of  the  prolonged  debate  which  took  place  when  the 
cloth  had  been  removed  and  wine  placed  on  the  table, 
according  to  the  American  custom.  The  discussion 
was  opened  by  Lafayette,  who  submitted  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  assembled  company  his  "  Rights  of 
Man,"  to  which  he  was  inordinately  attached  and 
which  he  designed  as  a  prelude  to  the  new  constitu- 
tion. With  pride  and  emphasis  he  read  aloud  the 
most  important  of  his  dicta,  and  which,  he  owned 
with  a  profound  bow  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  had  been 
largely  inspired  by  the  great  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. 

"  The  Rights  of  Man  "  were  received  with  acclaim 
and  approved  almost  without  a  dissenting  voice,  and 
then  was  introduced  the  main  theme  of  the  discus- 
sion— the  new  constitution  projected  by  the  Assembly. 
So  incredibly  frank  were  the  deliberations  that  the 
three  American  gentlemen  could  not  but  marvel  that 
they  were  allowed  to  be  present.  'Twas  a  curious 
exhibition  of  weakness,  thought  Calvert,  that  they 
should  be  allowed,  nay,  urged,  to  participate  in  such 
a  session.  So  intimate,  indeed,  were  the  details  pre- 
sented to  the  company  by  its  different  members,  so 
momentous  the  questions  raised  and  settled,  that  even 
Mr.  Morris,  usually  so  impetuous,  hesitated  to  ex- 
press an  opinion.  Only  when  it  had  been  decided 

223 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

that  the  King  should  have  a  suspensive  veto ;  that  the 
Legislature  should  be  composed  of  but  one  chamber, 
elected  by  the  people;  only  when  it  was  evident  that 
the  noblesse  were  to  be  rendered  powerless  and  that 
Lafayette  had  abandoned  his  King,  did  Mr.  Morris 
burst  forth. 

"  This  is  madness,  Marquis,"  he  says,  scarce  able 
to  contain  himself.  "  Take  from  the  King  his  power 
and  this  realm  will  fall  into  anarchy,  a  bloody  dis- 
union, the  like  of  which  the  world  has  never  seen! 
This  country  is  used  to  being  governed,  it  must  con- 
tinue to  be  governed.  Strengthen  the  King's  hands — 
for  God's  sake,  do  not  weaken  them !  Attach  your- 
self to  the  King's  party — 'tis  this  unhappy  country's 
only  hope  of  salvation.  Range  yourself  on  the  side 
of  His  Majesty's  authority,  not  on  that  of  this  insane, 
uncontrollable  people.  What  have  I  seen  to-day? 
As  I  walked  under  the  arcade  of  the  Palais  Royal, 
what  was  the  horrible,  the  incredibly  horrible  sight 
that  met  my  eyes?  The  head  of  one  of  your  chief 
men — of  Foulon,  Counsellor  of  State,  borne  aloft  on 
a  pike,  the  body  dragged  naked  on  the  earth,  as 
though  'twere  some  dishonored  slave  of  Roman  days. 
Gracious  God !  what  a  people !  Have  we  gone  back- 
ward centuries  to  pagan  atrocities?  And  you  talk 
of  making  this  people  the  supreme  authority  in 
France !  Your  party  is  mad  !  " 

"  If  'tis  madness,"  says  Monsieur  de  Lafayette, 
coldly,  "  I  am  none  the  less  determined  to  die  with 
them." 

:  'Twould  be  more  sensible  to  bring  them  to  their 
224 


A   DINNER  AT  THE   LEGATION 

senses  and  live  with  them,"  returned  Mr.  Morris, 
dryly. 

"  We  cannot  hope  to  gain  the  liberty,  so  long  and 
so  hardly  withheld  from  us,  without  bloodshed.  Mr. 
Jefferson  himself  hath  said  that  the  tree  of  liberty 
must  be  watered  with  blood." 

"  'Tis  a  different  creed  from  the  one  you  believed 
in  but  a  short  time  ago,"  rejoined  Mr.  Morris. 
"  'Twas  not  very  long  since  I  heard  you  prophesying 
a  bloodless  revolution.  And  this  horde  of  undis- 
ciplined troops,  for  which  you  are  responsible — do 
you  not  tremble  for  your  authority  when  you  deny 
the  King's?" 

"  They  will  obey  me,  they  love  me,"  cried  Lafay- 
ette, rising  in  some  confusion,  not  unmixed  with 
anger.  "  At  any  rate,  'tis  too  late  to  draw  back.  Our 
dispositions  are  taken,  gentlemen,"  he  adds,  turning 
to  the  company,  which  had  risen  at  his  signal,  "  and 
we  will  now  withdraw,  sensible  of  the  courtesy  and 
hospitality  we  have  received,"  and  with  a  bow  to  Mr. 
Morris  and  Calvert,  he  passed  from  the  room,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Jefferson  and  followed  by  the  rest  of 
the  gentlemen. 

"  What  madness !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Morris,  as  the 
door  closed  upon  the  company.  "  This  is  a  country 
where  everything  is  talked  about  and  nothing  under- 
stood, my  boy."  He  sank  into  a  chair  opposite  Cal- 
vert's  and  poured  himself  a  glass  of  wine. 

"  There  goes  a  man  who,  in  his  vanity,  thinks  him- 
self capable  of  controlling  these  terrific  forces  he  has 
helped  to  awaken,  but,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  is  not 

225 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

equal  to  the  business  in  hand.  He  has  the  best  inten- 
tions, but  is  lacking  in  judgment  and  strength.  He 
has  le  besoin  de  briller,  unfortunately,  and  does  from 
vanity  what  he  should  do  from  conviction.  I  am 
almost  glad  that  affairs  call  me  to  England  for  a 
while  and  that  I  shall  not  be  a  witness  to  the  Marquis's 
mistakes  and  the  horrors  toward  which  I  see  France 
fast  drifting." 

"  You  are  leaving  for  England  ?  "  asked  Calvert,  in 
surprise. 

"  Yes,"  returned  Mr.  Morris.  "  I  have  thought  for 
some  time  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  me  to  go 
to  London  on  business  connected  with  my  brother's 
estate  in  America,  and  letters  which  I  received  lately 
have  decided  me  to  go  at  once.  Moreover,"  and 
here  he  hesitated  slightly  and  laughed  his  dry,  hu- 
morous laugh,  "  I  have  ever  thought  discretion  the 
better  part  of  valor,  my  boy.  To  speak  plainly, 
Madame  de  Flahaut  becomes  too  exigeante.  I  have 
told  her  that  I  am  perfectly  my  own  master  with  re- 
spect to  her,  and  that,  having  no  idea  of  inspiring  her 
with  a  tender  passion,  I  have  no  idea  either  of  sub- 
jecting myself  to  one,  but  I  hardly  think  she  under- 
stands my  attitude  toward  her.  Besides,"  he  went  on, 
with  so  sudden  a  change  of  tone  and  sentiment  that 
Calvert  could  not  forbear  smiling,  "  I  find  her  too 
agreeable  to  bear  with  equanimity  her  treatment  of 
me.  The  other  day,  at  Madame  de  Chastellux's,  her 
reception  of  me  was  such  that  I  think  I  would  not 
again  have  troubled  her  with  a  visit  had  she  not  sent 
for  me  to-day." 

226 


A    DINNER   AT  THE   LEGATION 

"  And  did  you  go  ?  "  asked  Calvert,  smiling. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  bursting  out  laughing. 
"  Of  course  I  went,  Ned — that  is  the  way  with  all 
of  us — the  women  treat  us  with  contempt  and  we  go 
away  in  a  huff,  vowing  never  to  see  them  again,  and 
they  beckon  to  us  and  back  we  go,  glad  to  have  a 
word  or  glance  again.  She  treated  me  very  civilly 
indeed,  and  received  me  at  her  toilet — 'twas  a  very 
decent  performance,  I  assure  you,  Ned.  She  un- 
dressed, even  to  the  shift,  with  the  utmost  modesty, 
and  I  would  have  found  it  a  pleasant  enough  experi- 
ence, if  a  trifle  astounding  to  my  American  mind,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  the  Bishop  of  Autun, 
who  came  in  and  who  is  confoundedly  at  his  ease 
in  Madame  de  Flahaut's  society.  High  ho !  we  two 
are  not  the  only  favored  ones.  She  is  a  thorough- 
paced flirt  and  plays  off  Curt  against  Wycombe — he 
is  Lansdowne's  son  and  her  latest  admirer — or  the 
Bishop  against  myself,  as  it  suits  her  whim.  I  would 
warn  you  to  beware  of  women  as  the  authors  of  all 
mischief  and  suffering,  did  I  not  think  it  too  late,"  he 
said,  looking  keenly  at  the  young  man,  who  blushed 
deeply.  "  Come  to  London  with  me,  Ned,"  he  went 
on,  impulsively,  after  an  instant's  silence.  "  I  think 
you  and  I  will  not  be  bad  travelling  companions  and 
will  enjoy  the  journey  together  prodigiously." 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Morris,"  said  Calvert,  shaking 
his  head,  "but — but  'tis  impossible  for  me  to  leave 
France." 

"  Ah,  'tis  as  I  thought,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  slowly, 
"  and  Madame  de  St.  Andre  is  a  most  charming  and 

227 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

beautiful  woman.  Forgive  me  for  having  guessed 
your  secret,  boy.  'Tis  my  interest  in  you  which 
makes  me  seem  impertinent.  Have  you  told  her  that 
you  love  her?  " 

"  'Tis  a  poor  game  to  tell  all  one  knows,"  says 
Calvert,  again  shaking  his  head  and  smiling  a  little 
bitterly.  "  Besides,  it  would  be  but  folly  in  this 
case." 

"  Folly !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Morris.  "  Don't  be  above 
committing  follies,  Ned !  Old  age  will  be  but  a  dreary 
thing  if  we  have  not  the  follies  of  youth  to  look  back 
upon.  Happiness  and  folly  go  hand  in  hand  some- 
times. Don't  miss  one  in  avoiding  the  other,  boy! 
Besides,  why  do  you  call  your  love  for  her  folly? 
By  the  Lord  Harry,"  he  burst  out,  "  why  shouldn't 
she  love  you  in  return?  'Tis  true  you  are  not  one  of 
the  dukes  or  marquises  who  follow  her  about,  but  I 
think  that  no  disability,  and,  were  she  not  a  capri- 
cious, worldly  woman,  she  would  have  the  wit  vastly 
to  prefer  a  clean,  honest  American  gentleman  to  these 
dissolute  popinjays,  whose  titles,  riches,  and  very  life 
are  being  menaced.  Were  I  a  woman,  Ned,"  and  he 
gave  the  young  man  a  kindly  look,  "  I  think  I  could 
find  it  in  my  heart  to  admire  and  respect  you  above 
most  men." 

"  'Tis  far  more  than  I  can  hope  for  in  Madame  de 
St.  Andre,  and  it  has  been  madness  for  me  to  think  of 
her  for  a  moment,"  said  Calvert,  gloomily. 

"  Then  come  away,"  urged  Mr.  Morris.  "  Come 
with  me  to  London."  But  Calvert  was  not  to  be  per- 
suaded. 

228 


A   DINNER   AT   THE   LEGATION 

"  You  counselled  me  a  while  ago  not  to  be  afraid 
of  committing  follies,"  he  said,  looking  at  the  older 
man.  "  I  think  I  am  capable  of  all  folly — I  don't 
dare  hope,  but  I  cannot  leave  her." 

"  Ah,  you  are  not  as  wise  as  I,  my  boy,"  returned 
Mr.  Morris,  smiling  cynically.  "  You  stay  because 
you  care  too  much  and  I  go  for  the  same  reason.  Be- 
lieve me,  mine  is  the  better  plan.  But  if  you  stay, 
speak !  Perhaps,  after  all,  she  may  have  the  sense  to 
appreciate  you.  Though  she  is  worldly  and  ambi- 
tious, there  is  a  leaven  of  sincerity  and  purity  in  her 
nature,  I  think.  And  then,  who  can  guess  what  is 
in  a  woman's  heart?  'Tis  the  greatest  of  puzzles. 
Who  knows  what  you  may  find  in  Adrienne  de  St. 
Andre's,  Ned?  She  is  a  high-spirited  creature, 
trained  in  her  world  to  conceal  her  feelings,  should 
she  be  unfashionable  enough  to  have  any,  and  per- 
haps the  indifference  with  which  she  treats  you  is 
but  a  mask.  There  are  women  like  that,  boy,  who 
are  as  great  actresses  as  Raucourt  or  Contat,  and 
who  would  die  before  they  betrayed  themselves,  just 
as  there  are  women  to  whom  candor  is  as  natural  as 
breathing  and  who  can  no  more  help  showing  the 
depth  and  tenderness  of  their  hearts  than  the  sun  can 
help  shining.  And  now,"  he  said,  rising  as  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson entered  the  room,  "  I  must  be  going  or  I  shall 
be  imprudent  enough  to  make  some  observations  on 
the  extraordinary  proceedings  of  this  evening." 

"  Extraordinary  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson,  with 
a  troubled  air,  as  he  seated  himself.  "  I  shall  wait 
upon  Montmorin  in  the  morning  and  explain  how 

229 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

it  has  happened  that  the  American  Legation  has  been 
the  rendezvous  for  the  political  leaders  of  France. 
But  though  this  affair  has  deeply  embarrassed  me, 
I  would  not,  for  a  great  deal,  have  missed  hearing 
the  coolness  and  candor  of  argument,  the  logical  rea- 
soning and  chaste  eloquence  of  the  discussion  this 
evening.  Would  that  it  had  all  been  employed  in 
a  better  cause !  It  seems  almost  pitiful  that  these 
men  should  be  battling  for  a  King  who,  though  mean- 
ing well  toward  the  nation,  is  swayed  absolutely  by 
a  Queen,  proud,  disdainful  of  all  restraint,  concerned 
only  in  the  present  pleasure,  a  gambler  and  intrigante. 
Dr.  Franklin  and  I  have  seen  her  in  company  with 
d'Artois  and  Coigny  and  the  Duchesse  de  Polignac, 
than  whom  there  is  no  more  infamous  woman  in 
France,  gambling  and  looking  on  at  the  wild  dances 
and  buffoonery  of  a  guinguette,  and,  though  her  in- 
cognita was  respected,  think  you  the  people  did  not 
know  the  Queen?  Tis  to  preserve  the  throne  of  a 
woman  such  as  that  that  Lafayette  and  d'Azay  and 
Barnave  bend  all  their  powerful  young  energies  and 
talents  and  may,  perhaps,  give  their  young  lives !  " 

"  There  are  those  who  think  differently  about  Louis 
and  Marie  Antoinette,  and  who  consider  the  Queen 
the  better  man  of  the  two,"  replied  Mr.  Morris,  dryly. 
"  But  'tis  past  my  patience,  the  whole  thing,  and  I 
can  scarce  trust  myself  to  think  of  it.  By  the  way, 
Ned,"  he  said,  suddenly  turning  to  Calvert,  "  'twas 
that  villain  Bertrand,  that  protege  of  yours,  who  was 
carrying  the  head  of  that  poor  devil,  Foulon,  on  his 
pike  this  afternoon.  I  recognized  the  fellow  instantly, 

230 


A    DINNER   AT   THE   LEGATION 

and  I  think  he  Knew  me,  too,  though  he  was  near 
crazed  with  blood  and  excitement.  He  handed  the 
pike  to  a  companion  and  slunk  into  the  crowd  when 
he  saw  me.  Have  a  care  of  him,  boy.  'Twas  the 
most  awful  sight  my  eyes  ever  rested  on!  And  now, 
good -night."  At  the  door  he  looked  back  and  saw 
Mr.  Jefferson  filling  his  long  pipe  with  fragrant  Vir- 
ginia tobacco  and  Calvert  still  sitting  beside  the  table 
with  the  troubled  look  on  his  thoughtful  young  face. 
A  week  later,  after  having  bidden  good-by  to  his 
friends  in  Versailles  and  Paris  and  having  obtained 
a  passport  from  Lafayette  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  he 
set  out  for  London,  from  which  capital  he  did  not 
return  until  the  middle  of  September. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

MR.    CALVERT  RIDES  DOWN  INTO  TOURAINE 

AUGUST  was  a  dreary  month  in  Paris.  With  the 
last  days  of  July  the  heat  became  intense,  and  that, 
with  the  constant  alarms  and  ever  recurring  outbreaks, 
caused  such  an  exodus  from  the  city  as  soon  made 
Paris  a  deserted  place.  Mr.  Morris's  departure  was 
followed  shortly  by  that  of  the  old  Duchesse  d'Azay 
and  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  who  went  down  to  Azay- 
le-Roi,  so  that  in  Calvert's  estimation  the  gayest 
capital  in  the  world  was  but  a  lonely,  uninteresting 
city.  Toward  the  close  of  August  Mr.  Jefferson 
received  from  Congress  that  permission  to  return 
home  which  he  had  solicited  for  so  long,  and,  without 
loss  of  time,  he  prepared  to  leave  France  for,  as  he 
supposed,  an  absence  of  a  few  months,  at  most. 
Among  the  multitude  of  public  and  private  affairs  to 
be  arranged  before  his  departure,  his  friends  were  not 
forgotten,  and  he  made  many  farewell  visits  to  Ver- 
sailles, Marly-le-Roi,  and  St.  Germain.  He  had  not 
thought  it  possible,  however,  to  see  his  friends  at 
Azay-le-Roi,  but  the  middle  of  September  found  his 
affairs  so  nearly  settled,  and,  his  passage  not  being 
taken  until  the  26th  of  the  month,  he  one  day  pro- 
posed to  Calvert  that  they  should  make  the  journey 
into  Touraine. 

232 


CALVERT   RIDES   DOWN   INTO   TOURAINE 

"  Tis  the  most  beautiful  part  of  France,"  he  said 
to  the  young  man,  "  and  I  have  a  fancy  to  show  you 
the  country  for  the  first  time  and  to  say  farewell  to 
our  friends,  Madame  d'Azay  and  Madame  de  St. 
Andre." 

To  this  proposition  the  young  man  assented,  sud- 
denly determining  that  he  would  see  Adrienne  and 
put  his  fortune  to  the  touch.  'Twas  intolerable  to 
remain  longer  in  such  a  state  of  uncertainty  and  fever- 
ish unhappiness,  he  decided.  Any  fate — the  cruel- 
lest— would  be  preferable  to  the  doubt  which  he 
suffered.  And  surely  he  was  right,  and  uncertainty 
the  greatest  suffering  the  heart  can  know. 

"At  the  worst  she  can  hurt  me  no  more  cruelly 
than  she  has  already,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  She 
shall  know  that  I  love  her,  even  though  that  means 
I  shall  never  see  her  again." 

His  determination  once  taken,  he  was  as  eager  as 
possible  to  be  off,  and,  by  the  i6th,  all  was  in  readi- 
ness for  their  departure.  Passports  were  obtained 
from  Lafayette  and  places  reserved  in  the  public  dili- 
gence. They  took  only  one  servant  with  them — the 
man  Bertrand,  whom  Calvert  had  been  at  pains  to 
ferret  out  and  take  into  his  employ,  thinking  to  pre- 
vent him  from  mingling  again  with  the  ruffians  and 
cutthroats  of  the  Palais  Royal  and  faubourgs.  Such 
was  the  fellow's  devotion  to  Calvert  that  he  aban- 
doned his  revolutionary  and  bloody  comrades  and 
took  service  joyfully  with  the  young  man,  delighted 
to  be  near  and  of  use  to  him. 

The  journey  into  Touraine  was  a  very  short  and 

233 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

a  very  pleasant  one  to  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Calvert. 
The  diligence  left  Paris  by  the  Ivry  gate,  stopping  for 
the  night  at  Orleans.  The  next  morning  at  dawn 
they  were  again  upon  their  way  and  bowling  swiftly 
along  the  great  highway  that  led  down  into  the 
valley  of  the  Loire,  past  Amboise  and  Blois  and 
Vouvray  to  the  old  town  of  Tours,  lying  snugly 
between  the  Loire  and  the  Cher.  They  came  into  the 
rue  Royale  just  as  the  sun  was  flinging  a  splendor  over 
everything — on  the  gray  cathedral  spires  and  the 
square  tower  of  Charlemagne  and  the  gloomy  Tour 
de  Guise,  and  as  they  crossed  the  great  stone  bridge 
to  the  old  quarter  of  St.  Symphorien,  the  Loire  flowed 
away  beneath  them  like  some  fabled  stream  of  molten 
gold. 

The  diligence  put  them  down  at  La  Boule  d'Or, 
a  clean  and  well-kept  inn,  overlooking  the  river  and 
from  the  windows  of  which  could  be  seen  the  white 
facade  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville  and  the  numberless 
towers  rising  here  and  there  above  the  old  town. 
After  a  night  of  refreshing  sleep  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  but 
one  full  of  misgivings  and  broken  dreams  to  Calvert, 
the  two  gentlemen  set  forth  in  the  morning  on  horse- 
back, followed  shortly  after  by  Bertrand  with  light 
baggage,  for  Mr.  Jefferson's  affairs  would  not  permit 
him  to  remain  more  than  twenty-four  hours  at  Azay- 
le-Roi.  They  rode  slowly,  at  first,  through  the  early 
sweetness  of  that  September  morning,  scarcely  dis- 
turbing the  fine,  white  dust  upon  the  broad  road. 
The  level  land  stretched  away  before  them  like  some 
tranquil,  inland  sea,  and  against  the  horizon  tall, 

234 


CALVERT   RIDES   DOWN   INTO   TOURAINE 

stately  poplars  showed  like  the  slender  masts  of  ships 
against  the  blue  of  sky  and  ocean. 

"It  is  as  though  a  whole  world  separated  this 
peaceful  valley  from  the  agitation  and  uproar  of 
Paris,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson  to  Calvert. 

"  Yet  even  here  revolt  has  already  left  its  mark," 
returned  Calvert,  pointing  to  the  half-burnt  ruins  of 
a  chateau  just  visible  through  an  avenue  of  trees  to 
the  left. 

In  the  early  afternoon  they  came  to  Azay,  and, 
passing  quickly  through  the  little  village  and  out  into 
the  country  again,  they  were  soon  at  the  entrance  of 
the  great  park  surrounding  Azay-le-Roi.  Calvert 
never  forgot  the  look  of  the  great  avenue  of  rustling 
poplars  and  the  exquisite  grace  of  the  chateau  as  he 
and  Mr.  Jefferson  rode  up  to  it  on  that  September 
afternoon.  A  sunny  stillness  brooded  over  it;  long 
shadows  from  the  pointed  turrets  lay  upon  the  fine 
white  sand  of  the  driveway  and  dipped  along  the 
gray  walls  of  the  chateau,  which  the  hand  of  man  had 
fretted  with  lace-like  sculpture.  In  an  angle  of  the 
courtyard  two  idle  lackeys  in  scarlet  liveries  and 
powdered  hair  played  with  a  little  terrier.  As  Mr. 
Jefferson  and  Calvert  approached,  they  ran  forward, 
one  taking  the  horses  and  the  other  opening  the  great 
entrance  door  for  the  two  gentlemen  and  ushering 
them  into  the  salon  where  a  large  company  was 
amusing  itself  with  cards,  books,  and  music.  The 
old  Duchess  and  d'Azay,  who  was  down  from  Ver- 
sailles for  a  few  days,  could  not  welcome  the  gentle- 
men warmly  enough,  and  even  Adrienne  seemed  so 

235 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

pleased  to  see  them  again  that,  for  the  first  time  since 
beginning  the  journey,  Calvert  felt  some  of  his  mis- 
givings quieted  and  dared  to  hope  that  his  embassy 
might  not  be  unsuccessful.  He  would  have  spoken 
to  her  that  very  evening,  she  was  so  gracious  to  him, 
but  that  the  numerous  company  prevented  any  con- 
versation alone.  Not  only  did  guests  arrive  for 
dinner,  but  there  were  several  families  from  the 
neighboring  chateaux  staying  at  Azay-le-Roi,  fright- 
ened thither  by  rumors  of  outbreaks  among  the 
peasantry  and  the  approach  of  brigands. 

"  They  cannot  frighten  me  from  Azay-le-Roi,"  says 
the  Duchess,  stoutly,  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  "  If  they 
burn  my  house,  'twill  be  over  my  head,  and  as  for  the 
brigands,  I  believe  in  them  no  more  than  in  the  alleged 
plot  of  the  Queen  to  blow  up  the  Assembly." 

The  talk  was  all  of  the  tumults  in  Paris,  the  hasty 
decrees  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  agitation  spreading 
over  the  provinces,  and  the  evening  would  have 
passed  gloomily  enough  had  it  not  been  for  the 
intrepid  old  Duchess,  who  scouted  all  vague  alarms, 
and  for  Adrienne,  who  turned  them  into  ridicule, 
and  who  had  never  appeared  to  Calvert  more  spark- 
ling and  charming.  It  was  not  until  the  next  morn- 
ing that  he  could  get  a  word  with  her  alone.  He 
found  her  walking  slowly  up  and  down  an  allee  of 
elms,  through  the  leaves  of  which  the  bright  Sep- 
tember sunshine  sifted  down.  She  nodded  coolly  to 
the  young  man  who  joined  her.  All  her  animation 
and  gracious  air  of  the  evening  before  had  disap- 
peared, and  Calvert  could  have  cursed  himself  that 

236 


CALVERT  RIDES  DOWN   INTO  TOURAINE 

he  had  come  upon  her  in  this  capricious  mood.  But 
he  would  not  put  off  saying  what  he  had  come  so 
far  to  say,  for  all  her  changed  manner,  and,  more- 
over, there  would  be  no  better  time,  for  they  were 
to  set  out  for  Tours  again  by  noon. 

"  Madame,"  he  said,  after  an  instant's  silence, 
during  which  they  had  paced  slowly  up  and  down 
together,  "  as  you  know,  this  is  no  farewell  visit  I 
have  come  to  pay,  since  I  do  not  leave  France  with 
Mr.  Jefferson.  I  have  come  because  I  dared  to  love 
you,"  he  went  on,  bluntly,  and  meeting  the  look  of 
surprise,  which  Adrienne  shot  at  him,  squarely  and 
steadily.  They  both  stopped  in  their  walk  and  re- 
garded each  other,  the  young  girl  blushing  slightly  as 
she  looked  at  Calvert's  pale  face  and  met  his  steady 
gaze. 

"  I  can  make  you  no  fine  phrases.  Indeed,  I  know 
no  words  either  in  your  tongue  or  mine  that  can  ex- 
press the  love  I  feel  for  you,"  he  said,  a  little  sadly. 

"  'Tis  the  first  time  I  have  ever  known  Mr.  Calvert 
to  be  at  a  loss  for  French  phrases,"  returned 
Adrienne,  recovering  from  her  momentary  confusion 
and  smiling  mockingly  at  the  young  man.  "  You 
should  have  taken  a  lesson  from  Monsieur  de  Beau- 
fort or  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire." 

"  No  doubt  they  have  had  much  experience  which 
I  have  missed,  and  could  teach  me  much.  But  I  fear 
Beaufort  could  only  teach  me  how  to  fail,  and  as  for 
Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire,  I  have  no  time  to  go  to 
England  to  find  that  gentleman  in  the  retreat  which 
he  has  so  suddenly  seen  fit  to  seek."  Madame  de 

237 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

St.  Andre  blushed  and  bit  her  lip.  "  'Tis  the  first 
time  I  have  ever  told  a  woman  I  loved  her,"  said  Cal- 
vert,  "  and  I  would  rather  tell  her  in  my  own  blunt 
fashion.  If  she  loves  me,  she  will  know  the  things 
my  heart  tells  her,  but  which  my  lips  are  too  unskilled 
to  translate." 

"  Ah,  we  women  are  too  wise  to  try  to  divine 
unspoken  things ;  we  scarce  dare  believe  what  we  are 
told,"  and  the  young  girl  laughed  lightly. 

"  Yet  I  think  you  once  paid  me  the  compliment  of 
saying  that  you  believed  me  sincere,"  said  poor  Cal- 
vert. 

'  'Tis  true — there  is  something  about  you  which 
compels  belief — 'tis  your  eyes,  I  think,"  and  then, 
throwing  off  the  seriousness  with  which  she  had 
spoken,  she  added,  jestingly :  "  But  in  truth,  sir,  it  is 
too  much  to  ask  of  me  to  believe  that  I  am  the  first 
woman  you  have  ever  loved." 

"  It  is  nevertheless  true,"  said  Calvert,  quietly. 

"  And  you  told  me  you  could  make  no  fine  phrases !  " 
cried  the  young  girl,  with  a  gesture  of  pretended  dis- 
appointment, and  glancing  with  eyes  full  of  amuse- 
ment at  Calvert. 

"  I  pray  you  to  still  that  spirit  of  mockery  and 
listen  to  me,"  said  the  young  man,  turning  to  her  with 
passion.  As  Adrienne  looked  at  his  white  face  and 
heard  the  sternness  in  his  voice,  the  laughter  faded 
from  her  eyes. 

"  I  have  never  known  the  love  of  a  mother  or  sister. 
It  is  true  what  I  have  told  you,  whether  you  believe 
it  or  not,  that  you  are  the  first  and  only  woman  I  have 

238 


CALVERT  RIDES  DOWN  INTO  TOURAINE 

loved.  And  I  think  I  have  loved  you  ever  since  that 
night,  years  ago  at  Monticello,  when  d'Azay  showed 
me  your  miniature.  I  have  loved  you  when  you  were 
kind  and  unkind  to  me.  I  love  you  now,  although 
I  do  not  dare  to  hope  that  you  love  me  in  return.  I 
can  offer  you  nothing,"  he  went  on,  hurriedly,  seeing 
that  she  would  have  stopped  him.  "  I  can  offer  you 
nothing  but  this  love  and  a  home  over  the  sea.  Tis 
a  pretty  place,  though  it  would  doubtless  seem  to  you 
poor  enough  after  the  splendors  of  Versailles  and 
Paris,"  he  says,  smiling  ruefully ;  "  but  we  might  be 
happy  there.  Is  it  impossible  ?  " 

As  she  looked  into  Calvert's  serious  eyes,  lighted 
with  a  glow  she  had  never  seen  in  them,  there 
swept  over  her  that  admiration  for  him  which  she 
had  felt  before.  But  she  conquered  it  before  it  could 
conquer  her. 

"  Impossible.  Ah,  you  Americans  want  everything. 
You  have  triumphed  over  the  English ;  do  you  wish 
to  conquer  France,  too  ?  I  am  not  worth  being  taken 
prisoner,  Monsieur,"  she  says,  suddenly.  "  I  am 
capricious  and  cold  and  ambitious.  I  have  never 
been  taught  to  value  love  above  position.  How  can 
I  change  now?  How  could  I  leave  this  France,  and 
its  court  and  pleasures,  for  the  wilds  of  a  new  coun- 
try ?  No,  no,  Monsieur ;  I  haven't  any  of  the  heroine 
in  me." 

"  'Tis  not  exactly  to  the  wilds  of  a  new  country 
that  I  would  take  you,  Madame,"  and  Calvert  smiled 
palely,  in  spite  of  himself,  "  but  to  a  very  fertile  and 
beautiful  land,  where  some  of  the  kindest  people  in 

239 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

the  world  live.  But  I  do  not  deny  that  our  life  and 
pleasures  are  of  the  simplest — 'twould,  in  truth,  be  a 
poor  exchange  for  the  Marquise  de  St.  Andre." 

"  It  might  be  a  happy  enough  lot  for  some  woman ; 
for  me,  I  own  it  would  be  a  sacrifice,"  said  Adrienne, 
imperiously. 

"  Believe  me,  no  one  realizes  more  clearly  than  I 
do  the  sacrifice  I  would  ask  you  to  make,  with  only 
the  honest  love  of  a  plain  American  gentleman  for 
compensation.  There  are  no  titles,  no  riches,  no 
courtly  pleasures  in  my  Virginia;  I  can't  even  offer 
you  a  reputation,  a  little  fame.  But  my  life  is  before 
me,  and  I  swear,  if  you  will  but  give  me  some  hope, 
I  will  yet  bring  you  honors  and  some  fortune  to  lay 
with  my  heart  at  your  feet!  There  have  been  days 
when  you  were  so  gracious  that  I  have  been  tempted 
to  believe  I  might  win  your  love,"  says  poor  Calvert. 

"  If  you  mean  I  have  knowingly  encouraged  this 
madness,  Monsieur  Calvert,  believe  me,  you  mistake 
and  wrong  me." 

"  I  do  not  reproach  you,"  returned  Calvert,  smil- 
ing sadly.  "  I  can  easily  believe  you  did  not  mean  to 
show  me  any  kindness.  This  folly  is  all  my  own, 
and  has  become  so  much  a  part  of  me  that  I  think  I 
would  not  have  done  with  it  if  I  could.  I  would 
give  you  my  life  if  it  would  do  you  any  good.  You 
need  not  smile  so  mockingly.  It  is  no  idle  assertion, 
and  it  would  be  a  poor  gift,  after  all,  as  it  is  less  than 
nothing  since  you  will  not  share  it.  I  used  to  wonder 
what  this  love  was,"  he  goes  on,  as  if  to  himself, 
"that  seizes  upon  men  and  holds  them  fast  and 

240 


CALVERT  RIDES  DOWN  INTO  TOURAINE 

changes  them  so.  I  think  I  understand  it  now,  and 
the  beauty  of  it  and  the  degradation,  too.  I  love 
you  so  that,  if  by  some  stroke  of  fate  I  could  be 
changed  into  a  prince  or  a  duke,  like  your  Monsieur 
de  Grammont  or  Monsieur  de  Noailles,  and  you 
would  give  me  your  love,  as  to  some  such  exalted 
personage,  I  would  be  base  enough  to  accept  it, 
though  I  knew  you  would  never  give  it  to  the  untitled 
American." 

"  Enough,  Monsieur !  "  said  Adrienne,  rising  in 
some  agitation.  '''  This  conversation  is  painful  to  me 
and  I  know  must  be  to  you.  Had  I  guessed  what  you 
had  to  say,  I  would  have  spared  you." 

"  No,"  returned  Calvert,  grimly,  a  wave  of  crimson 
suddenly  spreading  over  his  pale  face  ('twas  the  only 
sign  he  gave  of  the  anger  and  pain  gnawing  at  his 
heart),  "you  would  have  had  to  listen.  I  came  to 
Azay-le-Roi  to  tell  you  that  I  love  you.  Do  you 
think  I  would  have  gone  away  without  speaking  ? " 

Adrienne  regarded  him  in  haughty  amazement. 

"  At  least  you  will  do  me  the  favor  never  to  refer 
to  this  again  ?  " 

"  You  may  rest  assured,  Madame,  that  I  shall 
never  annoy  you  again."  He  spoke  as  haughtily  as 
she,  for  he  was  bitterly  hurt,  and  he  was  young 
enough  to  feel  a  fierce  pride  in  the  thought  that  he, 
too,  would  have  done  with  this  love  which  she  had 
so  lightly  disdained. 

He  sank  down  upon  the  bench  and  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands.  A  sudden  spasm  of  coquetry  seized 
the  young  girl. 

241 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Then,  in  case  I  should  ever  change  my  mind,  as 
women  have  been  known  to  do  since  time  immemorial, 
Monsieur,  /  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  marry  me !  "  she 
said,  laughing  lightly. 

Calvert  raised  his  head  wearily.  His  face  looked 
as  though  a  dozen  years  had  left  their  mark  upon  it 
since  he  entered  the  little  allee  of  elms ;  there  were 
fine  lines  of  pain  about  the  mouth  and  a  curious,  list- 
less look  in  his  usually  serene  eyes. 

"  After  this  morning  I  cannot  believe  that  you  will 
ever  change  your  mind,"  he  said,  rising  as  he  spoke. 
"  But  be  assured  that  whatever  may  happen  I  shall 
never  forget  your  command  and  offend  again.  And 
now,  as  I  shall  not  see  you  again  before  we  leave,  I 
bid  you  farewell,  Madame."  He  pressed  the  hand 
which  Adrienne  held  out  to  his  pale  lips,  and  then 
holding  it  for  an  instant  in  both  of  his,  turned  quickly 
and  left  the  allee. 

Madame  de  St.  Andre  looked  after  the  clean- 
limbed, athletic  young  figure  as  it  disappeared  rapidly 
through  the  trees.  And  suddenly  a  keen  regret  for 
what  she  had  done  swept  over  her.  Did  she  love  him, 
then,  that  she  should  wish  him  back?  She  sank  upon 
the  bench  with  a  beating  heart.  She  would  have 
called  out  to  him,  have  brought  him  back  to  her  side, 
but  that  her  pride  held  her  in  check. 

"  What  insolence ! "  she  said,  half-starting  up. 
"  And  yet — and  yet — 'tis  more  to  my  liking  than  fine 
phrases!  And  it  was  true — what  he  said — had  he 
been  Monsieur  le  Due  de  Montmorency  or  Monsieur 
de  Villeroi — !  At  least  I  shall  see  him  again — he 

242 


CALVERT  RIDES  DOWN  INTO  TOURAINE 

will  come  back — they  always  do."  But  though  she 
smiled,  a  curious  foreboding  and  a  sort  of  fear  seized 
upon  her. 

At  the  chateau  Calvert  found  Mr.  Jefferson  making 
his  adieux  to  Madame  d'Azay  and  her  guests.  The 
horses  had  been  ordered,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
gentlemen  were  ready  to  start.  D'Azay  walked  with 
Calvert  to  where  Bertrand  stood  holding  them. 

"  'Tis  an  infernal  shame,  Ned,"  he  said,  in  a  low 
tone,  wringing  the  young  man's  hand.  "  I  guessed 
thy  mission  down  here  and  thy  face  tells  me  how  it 
has  gone.  As  for  myself,  I  would  have  wished  for  noth- 
ing better.  Perhaps  she  may  change  her  mind — all 
women  do,"  he  added,  hopefully,  But  Calvert  only 
shook  his  head. 

"  She  is  for  some  greater  and  luckier  man  than  I," 
he  said,  quietly,  taking  the  reins  from  Bertrand,  and 
waving  an  adieu  to  the  young  lord  as  he  rode  down 
the  avenue. 

As  d'Azay  slowly  made  his  way  back  to  the 
chateau,  Bertrand  stood  for  a  moment  looking  after 
him  before  mounting  to  follow  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
Calvert. 

"  And  so,"  he  said,  half-aloud,  "  that  was  Mon- 
sieur's reason  for  coming  to  Azay-le-Roi !  And  she 
won't  have  him  !  All  women  are  fools,  and  these  great 
ladies  seem  to  be  the  biggest  fools  of  all.  She  will 
not  find  his  equal  among  the  white-livered  aristo- 
crats who  swarm  around  her.  I  wish  I  could  revenge 
Monsieur  for  this,"  he  said,  savagely,  and  jumping  on 
his  horse  he  rode  after  the  two  gentlemen. 

243 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

The  journey  back  to  Tours  was  made  more  quickly 
than  coming,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  was  so  full  of  his  visit 
to  Azay-le-Roi  as  not  to  notice  Calvert's  preoccupa- 
tion and  silence.  They  rode  into  the  town  in  the  late 
afternoon  and  made  their  way  to  the  Boule  d'Or, 
where  Calvert,  who  had  a  sudden  longing  to  be  alone, 
left  Mr.  Jefferson  writing  letters,  and  strolled  back 
into  the  old  town. 

Almost  before  he  was  aware  of  it  he  found  himself 
in  the  little  square  before  the  great  Cathedral.  With 
a  sudden  impulse  he  entered  and  leaned  against  one 
of  the  fretted  columns.  A  chorister  was  practising 
softly  in  the  transept  overhead.  'Twas  the  bene- 
dictus  from  one  of  Mozart's  masses. 

"  Benedictus  qui  venit  in  nomine  Domini,"  he  sang 
over  and  over  again.  Calvert  could  not  see  the 
singer,  but  the  young  voice  floated  downward,  re- 
minding him  of  his  own  boyish  voice.  He  closed 
his  eyes  and  bowed  his  head  against  the  cold 
stone.  When  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  he  went 
softly  down  the  echoing  aisle  of  the  church,  out 
through  the  great  doors,  into  the  yellow  sunshine  of 
the  deserted  little  street.  There  were  some  linden- 
trees  planted  in  a  hollow  square  before  the  parvis  of 
the  Cathedral,  and  stone  benches  set  beneath  them. 
Upon  one  of  these  he  sank  down,  as  if  physically 
weary.  Perhaps  he  was — at  any  rate,  a  sudden,  sick 
disgust  for  everything,  for  the  melancholy  afternoon 
sunshine  and  the  yellowing  grass  and  blighted  flowers, 
took  possession  of  him.  The  wind,  rising,  made  a 
dreary  sound  among  the  stiffening  leaves.  One 

244 


CALVERT  RIDES  DOWN   INTO  TOURAINE 

fluttered  downward  and  lay  upon  the  bench  beside 
him.  He  noted  with  surprise  the  sudden  chill,  the 
first  touch  of  coming  winter.  But  that  morning  it 
had  seemed  like  spring  to  him. 

He  looked  up  at  the  great  front  of  the  Cathedral,  un- 
changing through  so  many  changing  years,  and,  as  he 
looked,  he  thought  how  small  and  ephemeral  a  thing  he 
was  and  his  love  and  grief.  The  two  great  spires  tower- 
ing upward  seemed  to  his  sick  fancy  like  two  uplifted 
hands  drawing  benediction  down  on  the  weary,  grief- 
stricken  world,  and  before  their  awful  patience  and 
supplication  something  of  his  own  impatience  and 
bitterness  passed  from  him  and,  comforted,  he  left  the 
spot  and  made  his  way  along  the  deserted  quay  and 
so  back  to  the  little  inn  where  Mr.  Jefferson  awaited 
him. 


CHAPTER    XV 

CHRISTMAS     EVE 

HAD  it  not  been  for  Mr.  Morris's  sudden  return 
from  London,  Calvert  would  have  felt  alone,  indeed, 
in  Paris.  Having  received  certain  intelligence  con- 
cerning the  plan  for  the  purchase  of  the  American 
debt  to  France,  Mr.  Morris  set  off  hastily  for  France 
and  arrived  there  several  days  before  Mr.  Jefferson's 
departure  for  Havre.  This  absence,  as  all  thought, 
was  to  be  but  temporary,  but,  when  Mr.  Jefferson  left 
Paris  on  that  •  morning  of  the  26th  of  September, 
it  was  never  to  return.  He  left  his  affairs  in  the 
hands  of  Calvert  and  Mr.  Short,  and,  as  for  the  for- 
mer, he  was  only  too  happy  to  plunge  into  work  and 
so  forget,  if  possible,  his  own  unhappiness.  Mr. 
Morris  easily  divined  it,  however,  and  its  cause,  and 
tried,  in  his  cynical,  kindly  fashion,  to  divert  the 
young  man.  He  made  it  a  point  to  see  Calvert  fre- 
quently, and,  indeed,  it  was  not  only  out  of  kindness 
of  heart  that  he  did  so,  but  because  he  had  the  greatest 
liking  for  the  young  gentleman  and  enjoyed  his 
society  above  that  of  most  of  his  acquaintances. 
It  was  easy  enough  for  the  two  to  see  much  of  each 
other,  for  although  the  approach  of  winter  brought 
a  slight  return  of  gayety,  Paris  was  dreary  and 
deserted  enough.  That  first  wave  of  fear  which  had 

246 


CHRISTMAS   EVE 

seized  upon  the  nobles  had  swept  many  of  them  out 
of  France  to  Turin,  to  Frankfort,  to  Metz,  to  Coblentz, 
and  to  London.  Many  of  those  salons  which  Mr. 
Morris  and  Calvert  had  frequented  were  already 
closed,  hostesses  and  guests  alike  in  exile  and  poverty. 
Alarm  succeeded  alarm  in  Paris  until,  with  the  ill- 
starred  feast  to  the  Regiment  of  Flanders  and  the 
march  on  Versailles,  alarm  rose  to  panic.  The 
incredible  folly  and  stupidity  which  precipitated  these 
events  aroused  Mr.  Morris's  contempt  and  indigna- 
tion to  the  utmost  pitch. 

"  What  malignant  devil  is  it,  Ned,"  he  fairly 
groaned,  as  he  and  Calvert  sat  over  their  wine  one 
evening  after  dinner  at  the  Legation,  "  that  urges  their 
unfortunate  Majesties  on  to  their  destruction?  What 
could  have  been  more  ill-advised,  nay,  more  fatal 
in  these  starvation  times,  than  the  banquet  to  the 
Flanders  Regiment?  And  the  presence  at  it  of  their 
Majesties  !  Oh,  Luxembourg  must  have  been  stricken 
mad  to  have  urged  them  to  go  thither!  And  once 
there,  who  or  what  could  have  prevented  that  tipsy 
royalist  enthusiasm,  the  wild  burst  of  sympathy,  the 
trampling  of  the  tri-color  cockade  ?  They  say  the 
Queen  moved  among  the  half-crazed  soldiers  shin- 
ing and  beautiful  as  a  star,  boy.  I  had  the  whole  scene 
from  Maupas,  a  cousin  of  Madame  de  Flahaut,  who 
is  in  the  Body  Guard.  What  wonder  that  Paris 
raged  to  remove  the  suborned  Regiment  of  Flanders  ! 
And,  if  only  the  King  had  remained  firm  and  kept  it  at 
Versailles,  this  other  horror  of  the  5th  and  6th  of 
October  would  never  have  happened.  But  what  can 

247 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

you  expect  from  such  a  monarch  ?  As  I  wrote  Presi- 
dent Washington  this  afternoon,  '  If  the  reigning 
prince  were  not  the  small-beer  character  he  is,  there 
can  be  but  little  doubt  that,  watching  events  and  mak- 
ing a  tolerable  use  of  them,  he  would  regain  his  au- 
thority ;  but  what  will  you  have  from  a  creature  who, 
situated  as  he  is,  eats  and  drinks,  sleeps  well  and 
laughs,  and  is  as  merry  a  grig  as  lives  ?  There  is,  be- 
sides, no  possibility  of  serving  him,  for,  at  the  slight- 
est show  of  opposition,  he  gives  up  everything  and 
every  person.'  And  yet  I  would  like  to  attempt  it,  if 
only  to  thwart  those  rampant,  feather-brained  phi- 
losophers who  are  hurrying  France  to  her  doom." 

"  It  is  Lafayette  I  would  like  to  serve,"  said  Cal- 
vert,  moodily.  "  D'Azay  and  I  were  with  him  at  the 
Hotel  de  Ville  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day  of  the 
5th  of  October.  He  was  no  longer  master  of  him- 
self or  of  those  he  commanded,  and  I  could  scarce  be- 
lieve that  this  harried,  brow-beaten,  menaced  leader 
of  the  Milice  was  the  alert  and  intrepid  soldier  I  had 
served  under  before  Yorktown." 

"  Ah,  Ned,  there  is  a  man  whom  this  revolution  has 
spoiled  and  will  spoil  even  more!  Another  lost  rep- 
utation, I  fear.  Truly  a  dreadful  situation  to  find 
one's  self  in.  Marched  by  compulsion,  guarded  by  his 
own  troops,  who  suspect  and  threaten  him !  Obliged 
to  do  what  he  abhors,  or  suffer  an  ignominious  death, 
with  the  certainty  that  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  life 
will  not  prevent  the  mischief!  And  he  has  but  him- 
self to  thank — the  dreadful  events  of  the  5th  and  6th 
of  October  were,  as  far  as  concerned  Lafayette,  but 

248 


CHRISTMAS  EVE 

the  natural  consequences  of  his  former  policy.  Did 
I  not  warn  him  long  ago  of  the  madness  of  trimming 
between  the  court  and  popular  party,  of  the  danger 
of  a  vast,  undisciplined  body  of  troops  ?  " 

He  got  up  and  stumped  about  the  room,  irritation 
and  pity  expressed  in  every  feature  of  his  counte- 
nance, not  wholly  unmixed,  it  must  be  confessed  (or 
so  it  seemed  to  Calvert,  who  could  not  help  being 
a  little  amused  thereat),  with  a  certain  satisfaction 
at  his  perspicacity.  Suddenly  he  burst  out  laughing. 

"  After  all,  there  is  a  humorous  side  to  the  Mar- 
quis's tardy  march  to  Versailles  with  his  rabble  of 
soldiers.  As  the  old  Duchesse  d'Azay  said  the  other 
evening  to  the  Bishop  of  Autun  and  myself,  '  Lafay- 
ette et  sa  Garde  Nationale  ressemblent  a  l'arc-en- 
ciel  et  n'arrivent  qu'apres  1'orage !  ' — I  will  be  willing 
to  bet  you  a  dinner  at  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole  that  the 
Bishop  repeats  it  within  a  week  as  his  own  bon 
mot! " 

But  Mr.  Morris  had  graver  charges  against  the 
Bishop  than  the  confiscation  of  a  witty  saying.  Over 
Talleyrand's  motion  for  the  public  sale  of  church 
property  he  lost  all  patience,  and  did  not  hesitate  to 
point  out  to  him  one  evening,  when  they  supped 
together  at  Madame  de  Flahaut's,  the  serious  objec- 
tions to  be  urged  against  such  a  step.  'Twas  but 
one,  however,  of  the  many  signs  of  the  times  which 
both  irritated  and  pained  him,  for  he  was  genuinely 
and  ardently  interested  in  the  fate  of  France,  and 
looked  on  with  alarm  and  sadness  at  the  events  taking 
place.  His  own  plan  for  a  supply  of  flour  from 

249 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

America  and  the  negotiations  for  the  purchase  to 
France  of  the  American  debt,  which  he  was  endeavor- 
ing to  conclude  with  Necker,  were  alternately  renewed 
and  broken  off  in  a  most  exasperating  fashion,  owing 
to  that  minister's  short-sighted  policy  and  niggardli- 
ness. Indeed,  France's  finances  were  in  a  hopelessly 
deplorable  state,  and  Mr.  Morris  looked  on  in  dismay 
at  the  various  futile  plans  suggested  as  remedies — at 
the  proposal  to  make  the  bankrupt  Caisse  d'Escompte 
a  national  bank,  at  the  foolish  Caisse  Patriotique, 
and  at  the  issue  of  assignats. 

"  If  they  only  had  a  financier  of  the  calibre  of 
Hamilton,"  said  Mr.  Morris  to  Calvert ;  "  but  they 
haven't  a  man  to  compare  with  that  young  genius. 
Necker  is  only  a  sublimated  bank-clerk.  Indeed,  I 
think  you  or  I  could  conduct  the  finances  of  this 
unhappy  country  better  than  they  are  at  present  con- 
ducted," he  added,  laughing.  "  I  have  great  hopes  of 
you  as  a  financier,  Ned,  since  that  affair  of  the  Hol- 
land loans,  and  as  for  myself,  Luxembourg  has  urged 
me  seriously  to  enter  the  ministry.  'Tis  a  curi- 
ous proposition,  but  these  visionary  philosophers, 
who  are  trying  to  pilot  the  ship  of  state  into  a  safe 
harbor,  know  nothing  of  their  business,  and  will 
fetch  up  on  some  hidden  reef  pretty  soon,  if  I  mistake 
not.  The  Assembly  is  already  held  in  utter  contempt 
— their  sittings  are  tumultuous  farces — the  thing 
they  call  a  constitution  is  utterly  good  for  nothing. 
And  there  is  Lafayette,  with  an  ambition  far  be- 
yond his  talents,  aspiring  not  only  to  the  command 
of  all  the  forces,  but  to  a  leadership  in  the  Assembly 

250 


CHRISTMAS  EVE 

— a  kind  of  Generalissimo-Dictatorship.  'Tis  almost 
inconceivable  folly,  and,  to  cap  all,  that  scoundrel 
Mirabeau  has  the  deputies  under  his  thumb.  Can 
a  country  be  more  utterly  prostrated  than  France  is 
at  this  moment  ?  " 

''  To  get  Lafayette  and  Mirabeau  together  is  her 
only  chance  of  safety,  I  think,"  said  Calvert,  in  reply. 
"  The  leader  of  the  people  and  the  leader  of  the  As- 
sembly, working  together,  might  do  much." 

"  Impossible,"  objected  Mr.  Morris,  decidedly, 
"  and  I  do  not  blame  Lafayette  for  refusing  to  ally 
himself  with  so  profligate  a  creature  as  Mirabeau, 
great  and  undeniable  as  are  his  talents.  Why,  boy,  all 
Paris  knows  that  while  he  leads  the  Assembly,  he  is 
in  the  pay  of  the  King  and  Queen." 

"  And  yet  I  heard  you  yourself  declare,"  returned 
Calvert,  with  a  smile,  "  that  men  do  not  go  into  the 
administration  as  the  direct  road  to  Heaven.  I  think 
it  were  well  for  this  country  to  avail  itself  of  the  great 
abilities  of  Mirabeau  and  make  it  to  his  interest  to 
be  true  to  it."  And  in  the  long  argument  which 
ensued  over  the  advisability  of  taking  Monsieur  de 
Mirabeau  into  the  administration,  Calvert  had  all  the 
best  of  it,  and  judged  Mirabeau's  talents  and  useful- 
ness more  accurately  than  Mr.  Morris,  keen  and  prac- 
tical as  that  gentleman  usually  was. 

Toward  the  middle  of  November  word  came  to 
the  American  Legation  at  Paris,  by  the  British  packet, 
of  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  Secre- 
taryship of  Foreign  Affairs  under  President  Wash- 
ington, and  the  commission  of  Mr.  Short  as  charge 

251 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

d'affaires  at  Paris  until  a  new  minister  could  be  ap- 
pointed. This  news  was  confirmed  six  weeks  later 
by  a  letter  from  Mr.  Jefferson  himself  to  Calvert  and 
Mr.  Morris: 

It  had  been  my  ardent  wish  to  return  to  France  and  see  the 
ending  of  the  revolution  now  convulsing  that  unhappy  country, 
but  the  sense  of  duty  which  sent  me  thither  when  I  had  no 
wish  to  leave  America  now  constrains  me  to  remain  here. 
Hamilton  has  been  made  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  he 
is  anxious  to  have  you  return,  that  he  may  associate  you 
with  him  in  some  way.  But  I  have  told  him  that,  greatly  as 
I  should  like  to  see  you  and  to  see  you  busy  in  your  own 
country,  it  was  my  opinion  that  you  had  better  stay  abroad  for 
a  year  or  two  longer  and  study  the  governments  of  the  different 
European  powers  before  returning  to  the  United  States.  You 
can  learn  much  in  that  time,  and  your  usefulness  and  ad- 
vancement in  your  own  country  will  be  proportionately  greater. 
At  any  rate,  I  will  beg  of  you  to  stay  in  Paris  until  you  can  ar- 
range some  of  my  private  affairs,  left  at  loose  ends.  I  enclose  a 
list  of  the  most  important,  with  instructions.  Mr.  Short  will  at- 
tend to  the  official  ones  for  the  present.  His  commission  was 
the  first  one  signed  by  President  Washington.  Pray  present 
my  kindest  regards  to  Mr.  Morris,  and,  with  the  hope  of  hear- 
ing from  you  both  soon  and  frequently. 

Your  friend  and  servant, 
THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 

This  letter  reached  Mr.  Calvert  on  the  day  before 
Christmas,  and  added  not  a  little  to  the  gloom  of  an 
anniversary  already  sufficiently  depressing,  passed  so 
far  from  friends  and  home  and  amid  such  untoward 
surroundings.  He  and  Mr.  Short  were  in  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson's little  octagonal  library,  still  discussing  the 

252 


CHRISTMAS  EVE 

letter,  among  others  received  by  the  same  packet, 
when  Mr.  Morris  came  in,  the  three  gentlemen  in- 
tending to  have  a  bachelor  dinner  at  the  Legation. 

"  I  see  you  have  the  news  about  Mr.  Jefferson,"  he 
said,  looking  at  Mr.  Calvert  and  Mr.  Short.  "  I  have 
a  letter  from  him  myself  and  a  long  one  from  Presi- 
dent Washington,  which  I  have  permission  to  com- 
municate to  you  two,  but  which  must  go  no  further 
for  the  present,"  and  he  handed  it  to  Mr.  Calvert. 
"  As  you  see,  'tis  my  orders  to  proceed  to  England 
as  accredited  agent  to  the  British  Government,  with 
the  object  of  settling  the  treaty  disputes  and  of  estab- 
lishing, if  possible,  a  commercial  alliance  with  Great 
Britain.  The  President  has  written  me  at  length  on 
the  subject,  and  I  shall  start  for  London  as  soon  as 
possible — within  a  month,  I  hope." 

'  'Tis  a  great  compliment,"  said  Mr.  Short,  a  little 
enviously. 

"  And  a  very  delicate  mission,"  added  Calvert. 
And  so  it  was,  and  an  ungrateful  one,  too.  Several 
of  the  stipulations  of  the  Peace  of  Paris,  though 
ratified  several  years  previously,  were  still  unfulfilled. 
The  British  had  failed  to  surrender  the  frontier  posts 
included  in  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  United  States,  on  her  side,  had  failed  to  pay  the 
debts  due  to  British  merchants  before  the  war.  Now, 
although  America,  at  Washington's  instigation,  was 
eager  to  fulfil  her  part  of  the  treaty,  England  still 
held  off,  and  'twas  to  learn  her  ultimate  intentions, 
and  persuade  her,  if  possible,  to  carry  out  her  share 
of  the  conditions,  that  the  President  had  named  Mr. 

253 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

Gouverneur  Morris  as  private  agent  to  the  Brit- 
ish Government.  He  was  furthermore  to  discover 
whether  England  would  send  a  minister  to  the  infant 
union  and  also  what  her  dispositions  were  in  regard 
to  making  a  commercial  treaty. 

This  mission  was  discussed  at  length  during  dinner 
and  until  late  into  the  evening,  when  Mr.  Short,  plead- 
ing a  supper  engagement  with  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans, 
went  away,  leaving  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  together. 

"  And  now,  Ned,"  said  the  older  man,  as  they  sat 
comfortably  before  the  fire  after  Mr.  Short's  de- 
parture, "  your  duties  here  will  detain  you  no  longer 
than  mine,  so  why  cannot  we  take  that  journey  to 
England  together?  You  remember  you  would  not 
go  the  last  time  I  asked  you." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  keep  me  now,"  returned  Cal- 
vert, quietly,  "  and — and  in  truth  I  shall  be  glad 
enough  to  get  away,"  he  said,  rising,  and  moving 
restlessly  about  the  room.  And,  indeed,  he  was 
anxious  to  get  away  and  conquer,  if  possible,  in  some 
unfamiliar  scene,  the  disappointment  which  was  con- 
suming him. 

"  I  saw  her  a  few  days  ago  at  Madame  de  Mont- 
morin's,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  in  a  kindly  tone.  "  She 
was  looking  very  beautiful  and  asked  about  you — do 
you  know,  boy,  I  think  she  would  be  glad  to  see  you 
again?  Haven't  you  been  to  the  rue  St.  Honore  all 
this  while  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Calvert,  "  and  I  shall  not  go." 

"  The  hardness  of  youth !  My  young  philosopher, 
when  you  are  older  you  will  be  glad  to  make  com- 

254 


CHRISTMAS  EVE 

promises  with  Happiness  and  go  to  meet  her  half 
way.  I  think  you  can  be  a  little  cruel  in  your  sure 
young  strength,  Ned,  and  a  woman's  heart  is  easily 
hurt,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  with  a  sudden,  unaccustomed 
seriousness. 

"  I  am  not  much  of  a  philosopher.  I  tried  my 
fortune  and  failed,  and  I  thought  I  could  bear  it,  but 
it  is  unendurable.  Perhaps  I  shall  find  it  more  toler- 
able away  from  her,"  said  Calvert,  gloomily. 

"  Then  if  you  won't  tempt  your  fortune  further, 
come  to  London  with  me,  Ned.  I  promise  you  diver- 
sion and  excitement.  There  are  other  interesting 
things  to  study  besides  the  '  governments  of  different 
European  powers,' "  and  Mr.  Morris  laughed  and 
tapped  Mr.  Jefferson's  letter,  which  he  held  in  his 
hand.  "  I  am  not  averse  to  going  away  myself.  Ugh ! 
Paris  has  become  insufferable  these  days,  with  its 
riots  and  murders  and  houses  marked  for  destruction. 
'Tis  the  irony  of  fate  that  this  breeding-spot  of  every 
kind  and  degree  of  vice  known  under  high  Heaven 
should  come  forward  in  the  sacred  cause  of  liberty ! 
Besides  all  of  which,  Madame  de  Flahaut  has  found  a 
new  admirer.  She  swore  eternal  affection  for  me,  but 
nothing  here  below  can  last  forever,"  he  went  on,  in 
his  old  cynical  fashion.  "  I  embarrass  her  manoeuvres, 
and  'twere  well  I  were  away  and  leave  a  fair  field  for 
my  rival."  As  he  spoke,  the  clock  on  the  mantel 
chimed  the  hour  of  half  after  eleven. 

"  Tis  Christmas  eve,  Ned,"  he  said,  getting  up. 
"  Perhaps  we  sha'n't  be  in  Paris  for  another,  and  so 
I  propose  we  go  and  hear  mass  at  Notre  Dame.  'Tis 

255 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

a  most  Christian  and  edifying  ceremony,  I  believe. 
Garat  is  to  sing  the  Te  Deum,  so  Madame  de  Flau- 
haut  tells  me." 

The  two  gentlemen  decided  to  walk,  the  night  being 
clear  and  frosty,  and  so,  dismissing  Mr.  Morris's  car- 
riage, they  sauntered  leisurely  down  to  the  Place 
Louis  XV.  and  so  by  the  way  of  the  Quai  de  Bour- 
bon and  the  Quai  de  1'Ecole  over  the  Pont  Neuf  to 
the  great  parvis  of  Notre  Dame.  Arrived  at  the 
Cathedral,  the  Suisse,  in  scarlet  velvet  and  gold  lace, 
gave  them  places  over  against  the  choir,  where  they 
could  hear  and  see  all  that  passed.  Though  'twas 
midnight,  the  great  church  was  filled  with  a  throng  of 
worshippers,  who  knelt  and  rose  and  knelt  again  as 
mass  proceeded.  From  the  altar  rose  clouds  of  in- 
cense from  censers  swung  by  acolytes ;  now  and  then 
could  be  heard  the  tinkle  of  a  silver  bell  at  the  Eleva- 
tion of  the  Host  and  the  voice  of  the  priest,  monoto- 
nous and  indistinct,  in  that  vast  edifice.  Lights 
twinkled,  the  air  grew  heavy  with  incense,  and  great 
bursts  of  music  rolled  from  the  organ-loft.  'Twas  a 
magnificent  ceremonial,  and  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert 
came  away  thrilled  and  awed.  They  made  their  way 
out  by  the  old  rue  St.  Louis  and  the  Quai  des 
Orfevres,  and,  keeping  still  to  the  left  bank  of  the 
Seine,  did  not  cross  until  they  came  to  the  Pont 
Royal.  From  the  bridge  they  could  see  far  down  the 
river  and  the  lights  of  Paris  on  both  sides  of  the 
water.  A  feathery  sprinkling  of  snow,  which  had 
fallen  in  the  afternoon,  lay  over  everything;  but  the 
rack  of  clouds  which  had  brought  it  had  blown  away, 

256 


CHRISTMAS  EVE 

and  the  night  was  frosty  and  starlit.  A  tremulous 
excitement  and  unrest  seemed  to  be  in  the  keen  air. 
'  Tis  a  doomed  city,  I  think,  and  we  are  better 
away,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  leaning  on  the  stone  parapet 
of  the  bridge  and  looking  far  out  over  the  river  and 
at  the  silent  ranks  of  houses  lining  its  shore.  A  great 
bell  from  some  tower  on  the  left  boomed  out  two 
strokes.  "  Two  o'clock !  Tis  Christmas  morning, 
and  we  had  best  be  getting  back,  Ned."  Together 
they  walked  under  the  keen,  frosty  stars  as  far  as  the 
rue  St.  Honore,  and  then,  with  best  Christmas  wishes, 
they  parted,  Mr.  Morris  going  to  the  rue  Richelieu, 
and  Calvert  back  to  the  Legation. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MR.  CALVERT  TRIES  TO  FORGET 

IT  was  with  the  gloomiest  forebodings  and  the  doubt 
whether  he  should  ever  see  them  under  happier  cir- 
cumstances, or,  indeed,  at  all,  that  Mr.  Calvert  bade 
farewell  to  a  few  friends  on  the  eve  of  his  departure 
for  England.  Although  he  had  the  greatest  power 
of  making  devoted  friends,  yet  he  was  intimate  with 
but  very  few  persons,  and  so,  while  Mr.  Morris  was 
making  a  score  of  farewell  visits  and  engaging  to  fill 
a  dozen  commissions  for  the  Parisian  ladies  in  Lon- 
don, Calvert  was  saying  good-by  very  quietly  to  but 
three  or  four  friends.  D'Azay  he  saw  at  the  Club,  and 
it  was  not  without  great  anxiety  that  he  parted  from 
him.  Calvert  had  noticed  his  friend's  extreme  repub- 
licanism and  his  alliance  with  Lafayette  with  grave 
apprehension,  and  it  was  with  the  keenest  uncertainty 
as  to  the  future  that  he  said  good-by  to  the  young 
nobleman.  He  was  spared  the  embarrassment  of  bid- 
ding Madame  de  St.  Andre  farewell,  for,  when  he 
called  at  the  hotel  in  the  rue  St.  Honore  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  Madame  d'Azay,  as  he  felt  in  duty  bound  to 
do,  he  was  told  by  the  lackey  that  both  ladies  were 
out. 

Mr.  Morris,  having  obtained  information  that  the 
258 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES  TO   FORGET 

banking  house  in  Amsterdam,  upon  which  he  was 
relying  for  backing  in  the  purchase  of  the  American 
debt,  had  opened  a  loan  on  account  of  Congress  and 
had  withdrawn  from  their  engagements  with  him, 
determined  to  proceed  to  England  by  way  of  Hol- 
land, that  he  might  have  personal  interviews  with  the 
directors  relative  to  the  affair.  Accordingly,  he  and 
Mr.  Calvert  set  out  for  Amsterdam  on  the  morning 
of  the  I7th  of  February,  travelling  in  a  large  berline 
and  taking  but  one  servant — Mr.  Morris's — writh 
them.  'Twas  with  much  reluctance  that  Calvert  had 
left  Bertrand  behind,  for  the  fellow  was  as  devotedly 
attached  to  him  as  a  slave,  and  was  never  so  happy 
as  when  doing  some  service  for  the  young  man. 

"  I  am  afraid  he  will  go  back  to  his  wild  com- 
panions and  become  the  enrage  that  he  was,"  said 
Calvert  to  Mr.  Morris,  "  and  I  have  given  him  much 
good  advice,  which  I  dare  say  he  will  not  follow, 
however.  But  my  plans  are  so  uncertain  that  there 
is  no  knowing  when  he  would  see  France  again." 

They  travelled  by  way  of  Flanders,  stopping  a  day 
and  night  in  Brussels,  and  thence  to  Malines  and 
Antwerp,  where  they  saw  the  famous  "  Descent  from 
the  Cross,"  which  Mr.  Calvert  thought  the  greatest 
and  most  terrible  painting  he  had  ever  seen.  At 
Amsterdam  they  were  received  into  the  highest  society 
of  the  place,  and  were  most  hospitably  entertained ; 
but  the  state  of  the  whole  country  was  so  unsettled 
that  Mr.  Morris  deemed  it  most  prudent  not  to  press 
the  financial  engagements  which  he  had  expected  to 
make,  and,  accordingly,  they  set  out  for  England. 

259 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

Journeying  by  way  of  The  Hague  and  Rotterdam, 
they  set  sail  in  the  Holland  packet  and  were  landed 
at  Harwich  on  the  27th  of  March.  They  proceeded 
at  once  to  London,  arriving  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and  took  rooms  and  lodgings  at  Froome's  Hotel, 
Covent  Garden.  There  they  were  waited  on,  in  the 
course  of  the  evening,  by  General  Morris,  Mr.  Gouv- 
erneur  Morris's  brother.  This  gentleman,  who  had 
remained  a  royalist  and  removed  to  England,  was 
a  general  in  the  British  army,  and  had  married 
the  Duchess  of  Gordon.  He  was  eager  to  make  the 
travellers  from  Paris  welcome  to  London,  and  could 
scarcely  wait  for  the  morrow  to  begin  his  kind  offices. 
As  Mr.  Morris  had  hoped  and,  indeed,  expected,  he 
took  an  instant  liking  to  Mr.  Calvert,  and  professed 
himself  anxious  that  that  young  gentleman's  stay  in 
London  should  prove  agreeable.  This  kind  wish  was 
echoed  by  his  wife,  who  was  as  greatly  prepossessed  in 
Calvert's  favor  when  he  was  presented  to  her  the 
following  day  as  General  Morris  had  been,  and,  as 
they  moved  in  the  highest  circles  of  society,  it  was 
easy  enough  to  introduce  the  young  American  to  the 
gayest  social  life  of  the  capital.  With  the  acquain- 
tances thus  made  and  the  large  circle  of  friends  which 
Mr.  Morris  had  formed  on  his  previous  visit  to  Lon- 
don, Calvert  soon  found  himself  on  pleasant  terms. 

Perhaps  the  house  they  both  most  liked  to  fre- 
quent was  that  of  Mr.  John  B.  Church.  Mr.  Morris 
had  known  the  gentleman  when  he  was  Commissary- 
General  under  Lafayette  in  America  and  before  he 
had  married  his  American  wife.  Mr.  Church's  Ameri- 

260 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES  TO   FORGET 

can  proclivities  made  him  unpopular  with  the  Tory 
party  on  his  return  to  England,  but  he  numbered 
among  his  friends  the  Whig  leaders  and  many  of 
the  most  eminent  men  and  women  of  the  day.  'Twas 
at  a  ball  given  by  Mrs.  Church  a  few  days  after  his 
arrival  in  London  that  Mr.  Calvert  saw,  for  the  first 
time,  some  of  the  greatest  personages  in  the  king- 
dom— the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  Mrs.  Fitzherbert, 
the  beautiful  Mrs.  Damer  and  the  Due  d'Orleans, 
who  had  but  lately  come  over,  sent  out  of  France  by 
the  King  under  pretext  of  an  embassy  to  the  English 
monarch.  Calvert  had  not  seen  his  hateful  face  since 
the  opening  of  the  States-General,  and  'twas  with  a 
kind  of  horror  that  he  now  looked  at  this  royal  rene- 
gade. Pitt  was  there,  too,  but,  although  Mr.  Calvert 
saw  him,  he  did  not  meet  him  until  on  a  subsequent 
occasion.  He  marvelled,  as  did  everyone  who  saw 
Pitt  at  this  time,  at  the  youth  (he  was  but  thirty-one) 
and  the  dignity  of  the  Prime  Minister  of  George  III. 
Indeed,  he  moved  among  the  company  with  a  kind 
of  cold  splendor  that  sat  strangely  on  so  young  a 
man,  smacking  of  affectation  somewhat,  and  which 
rather  repelled  than  invited  Calvert's  admiration. 
This  first  impression  Mr.  Calvert  had  little  reason 
to  alter  when,  some  weeks  later,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Morris,  he  was  presented  to  Mr.  Pitt  by  the  Duke  of 
Leeds,  and  had  the  occasion  of  seeing  and  conversing? 
with  him  at  some  length. 

This  interview  was  the  second  one  which  Mr.  Mor- 
ris had  had  with  his  Grace  of  Leeds,  and  was  scarcely 
more  satisfactory  than  the  first  had  been.  But  a  few 

261 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

days  after  his  arrival  in  London  he  had  requested  an 
interview  with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and 
presented  to  him  his  letter  from  President  Washing- 
ton. A  few  minutes'  conversation  with  the  incapable, 
indolent  diplomat  convinced  Mr.  Morris  that  little,  if 
anything,  would  be  done  toward  settling  the  treaty  dif- 
ficulties, in  spite  of  his  Grace's  extreme  courtesy  of 
manner  and  vague  assurance  of  immediate  attention 
to  the  facts  presented  to  him.  It  was  therefore  with 
no  surprise,  but  a  good  deal  of  irritation,  that  Mr. 
Morris  saw  the  weeks  slip  by  with  but  one  evasive 
answer  to  his  demands  being  sent  him.  Being  im- 
portuned to  appeal  to  the  British  Government  on  an- 
other score — the  impressment  of  American  seamen 
into  the  English  navy — he  determined  again  to  urge 
upon  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  a  settlement  of 
the  treaty  stipulations  at  the  same  time  that  he  pre- 
sented the  new  subject  of  grievance.  To  Mr.  Mor- 
ris's request  for  another  interview,  the  Duke  of  Leeds 
readily  assented. 

"  He  has  set  to-morrow  as  the  day,  Ned,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  consulting  his  Grace's  letter,  which  he  held 
in  his  hand,  "  and  says  that  '  he  and  Mr.  Pitt  will  be 
glad  to  discuss  informally  with  me  any  matters  I  wish 
to  bring  to  their  attention.'  As  it  is  to  be  so  '  in- 
formal,' and  as  Leeds  is  to  have  the  advantage 
of  a  friend  at  the  interview,  I  think  I  will  ask  you 
to  accompany  me.  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  get 
him  to  commit  himself  in  writing,  so  'tis  as  well  to 
have  a  witness  to  our  conversations,"  he  said,  smiling 
a  little  cynically. 

262 


MR.   CALVERT  TRIES   TO   FORGET 

Accordingly,  at  one  o'clock  the  following  day,  Mr. 
Morris  and  Calvert  drove  to  Whitehall,  where  they 
found  the  Prime  Minister  and  the  Duke  of  Leeds 
awaiting  them.  The  Duke  presented  Calvert  to  Mr. 
Pitt,  who  seemed  glad  to  see  the  young  American, 
and  not  at  all  disconcerted  by  the  addition  to  their 
numbers.  Indeed,  the  interview  was  as  easy  and 
familiar  as  possible,  the  gentlemen  sitting  about  a 
table  whereon  were  glasses  and  a  decanter  of  port,  of 
which  Mr.  Pitt  drank  liberally. 

"  Tis  the  only  medicine  Dr.  Addington,  my  father's 
physician,  ever  prescribed  for  me,"  he  said,  with  a 
smile,  to  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert.  "  I  beg  of  you  to 
try  this — 'tis  some  just  sent  me  from  Oporto,  and,  I 
think,  particularly  good.  But  we  are  here  to  discuss 
more  important  affairs  than  port  wine,  however 
excellent,"  he  added,  with  another  smile. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  courteously  but  firmly, 
"  I  have  requested  this  interview  that  I  might  place 
before  you  the  complaint  of  the  United  States  that 
your  press-gangs  enter  our  American  ships  and  im- 
press our  seamen  under  the  pretence  that  they  are 
British  subjects.  It  has  long  been  a  sore  subject  with 
America,  and  calls  for  a  speedy  remedy,  sir." 

"  Such  conduct  meets  with  no  more  approval  from 
us  than  from  you,  Mr.  Morris,"  said  the  Duke  of 
Leeds,  evasively ;  "  but  a  remedy  will  be  hard  to  find 
because  of  the  difficulties  of  distinguishing  between 
a  seaman  of  two  countries  so  closely  related." 

"  Closely  related  we  are,  sir,  but  I  believe  this  is 
the  only  instance  in  which  we  are  not  treated  as 

263 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

aliens,"  returned  Mr.  Morris,  with  a  dry  irony  that 
caused  the  Duke  to  flush  and  move  uneasily  in  his 
chair. 

"  You  speak  of  a  speedy  remedy,  Mr.  Morris,"  said 
Mr.  Pitt,  hastily,  taking  up  the  conversation.  "  Have 
you  any  suggestions  as  to  what  remedy  might  be 
employed  ?  " 

"  I  would  suggest  certificates  of  citizenship  from 
the  Admiralty  Court  of  America  to  our  seamen," 
replied  Mr.  Morris,  promptly.  Both  Mr.  Pitt  and  the 
Duke  of  Leeds  looked  somewhat  surprised  at  this  bold 
and  concise  answer. 

"  'Tis  a  good  idea,"  said  Mr.  Pitt,  after  an  in- 
stant's hesitation,  "  and  worthy  of  mature  considera- 
tion." 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,  I  would  like  to  again  place 
before  you  these  stipulations  in  the  treaty  existing 
between  America  and  England  which  are  as  yet 
unfulfilled,  and  would  urge  you  to  engage  that  they 
will  no  longer  be  neglected,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  content 
to  have  made  his  point  in  regard  to  the  impressment 
of  seamen. 

"  Suppose  you  enumerate  them  in  the  order  of  their 
importance  from  your  point  of  view  and  let  us  dis- 
cuss the  situation,"  said  Mr.  Pitt,  and  he  settled  him- 
self in  his  chair  and  listened  with  undivided  atten- 
tion to  Mr.  Morris,  parrying  with  great  animation 
that  gentleman's  thrusts  (which  were  made  again 
and  again  with  the  utmost  shrewdness  and  coolness), 
and  avoiding,  whenever  possible,  a  positive  promise 
or  a  direct  answer  to  his  demands. 

264 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES  TO   FORGET 

In  this  conversation  Mr.  Calvert  joined  but  once — 
when  appealed  to  by  Mr.  Pitt  on  the  subject  of  the 
frontier  posts. 

"  Mr.  Morris  has  a  new  variation  on  the  old  theme 
of  '  Heads  I  win,  tails  you  lose/  "  he  said,  turning 
jocularly  to  Calvert.  "  He  insists  that  the  frontier 
posts  are  worth  nothing  to  us,  and  yet  he  insists  they 
are  most  necessary  to  you." 

"  England  and  America  are  so  widely  separated, 
sir,"  replied  Calvert,  smiling,  "  that  it  would  seem  to 
be  well  to  respect  laws  which  Nature  has  set,  and  keep 
them  so.  Near  neighbors  are  seldom  good  ones,  and, 
to  keep  the  peace  between  us,  'twere  well  to  keep  the 
distance,  also." 

"  We  do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  go  to  war  about 
these  posts,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  rising  and  bowing  to 
Mr.  Pitt  and  his  Grace  of  Leeds,  "  but  we  know  our 
rights  and  will  avail  ourselves  of  them  when  time  and 
circumstance  suit." 

"  Another  fruitless  effort,"  he  said,  when  they  had 
been  ushered  out  and  were  in  the  carriage  and  driving 
along  Whitehall.  "  I  think  there  is  little  chance  of 
making  a  new  commercial  treaty  when  they  will  not 
fulfil  the  peace  treaty  already  in  existence.  I  caught 
the  drift  of  Mr.  Pitt's  suggestion  about  mutual  accom- 
modation— 'twas  but  a  snare  to  trip  us  up  into  repu- 
diating the  old  treaty." 

"  Yes,"  said  Calvert,  laughing,  "  a  Pittfall." 

"  And  you  will  see,  Ned,"  added  Mr.  Morris,  join- 
ing in  the  laugh,  "  that  nothing  will  be  done — unless 
'tis  to  appoint  a  minister  to  the  United  States.  'Tis  my 

265 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

conviction  that  Mr.  Pitt  has  determined,  in  spite  of  his 
suavity  and  apparent  friendliness,  to  make  no  move 
in  this  matter — he  hasn't  that  damned  long,  obstinate 
upper  lip  for  nothing,  boy.  He  is  all  for  looking  after 
home  affairs  and  doesn't  want  to  meddle  with  any 
foreign  policy.  I  think  he  is  not  wise  or  great  enough 
to  look  abroad  and  seize  the  opportunities  that  offer. 
As  Charles  Fox  said — I  met  him  the  other  evening 
at  dinner  at  Mrs.  Church's — '  Pitt  was  a  lucky  man 
before  he  was  a  great  one/  and  I  am  inclined  to  agree 
with  him.  But  I  am  convinced  that  they  mean  to  hold 
the  frontier  posts  and  refuse  all  indemnity  for  the 
slaves  taken  away.  And  as  for  the  commercial  treaty 
— this  country  is  too  powerful  just  now  to  be  willing 
to  give  us  fair  terms.  We  could  make  but  a  poor 
bargain  with  her  now,  one  which  we  would  probably 
soon  regret,  and  so  I  shall  write  the  President." 

Affairs  eventuated  exactly  as  Mr.  Morris  had  pre- 
dicted, and,  although  he  conducted  the  embassy  with 
the  greatest  possible  address,  shrewdness,  and  per- 
sistence, this  failure  was  made  much  of  in  America, 
and  used  as  an  argument  against  his  later  appointment 
as  minister  to  France. 

One  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  Mr.  Calvert's  stay 
in  London  was  the  unexpected  presence  there  of  Mr. 
Gilbert  Stuart.  The  Queen,  wishing  to  have  a  por- 
trait of  the  King,  and  fearing  lest  another  at- 
tack of  that  dreadful  malady  from  which  the  poor 
gentleman  had  temporarily  recovered,  should  assail 
him,  had  commanded  Mr.  Stuart's  presence  from 
Dublin,  where  he  was  by  invitation  of  the  Duke  of 

266 


MR.   CALVERT  TRIES  TO   FORGET 

Rutland.  The  royal  commission  having  been  exe- 
cuted, Mr.  Stuart  was  passing  a  few  weeks  in  London 
with  his  friend  and  former  patron,  Benjamin  West, 
when  he  met  Calvert  at  a  dinner  at  the  house  of  Gen- 
eral and  Mrs.  Morris.  He  recognized  the  young  man 
instantly  and  reverted  to  their  former  meeting  at  Mon- 
ticello.  "  And  I  promised  both  myself  and  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson to  paint  a  portrait  of  you,  sir,"  he  said,  smil- 
ing. "  I  am  to  be  in  London  for  some  weeks,  and, 
if  you  are  to  be  here,  too,  what  time  could  be  more 
propitious  than  the  present?" 

Calvert's  assurance  that  he  was  in  town  indefinitely 
delighted  Mr.  Stuart. 

:<  Then  I  must  have  that  sketch  of  you  I  have  so 
long  promised  myself,  and  we  will  send  a  replica  to 
Mr.  Jefferson.  From  the  affectionate  manner  in 
which  he  spoke  of  you,  I  think  I  could  send  him  no 
more  acceptable  present,  Mr.  Calvert,"  he  said,  speak- 
ing with  great  animation.  "  I  shall  beg  a  corner  of 
Mr.  West's  studio,  and  we  must  begin  our  sittings  at 
once/' 

Indeed,  he  sent  for  Calvert  the  very  next  day,  and 
for  several  weeks  thereafter  the  young  man  was 
thrown  much  with  Stuart  and  many  of  the  most  inter- 
esting and  famous  men  of  the  time,  who  delighted  to 
foregather  in  Mr.  West's  studio.  The  portrait  which 
Mr.  Stuart  made  of  Calvert  at  this  time  he  always 
reckoned  one  of  his  masterpieces,  as,  indeed,  all  who 
over  saw  it  declared  it  to  be.  Never  did  the  artist 
execute  anything  simpler  or  purer  in  outline,  never 
were  his  wonderful  flesh  tints  better  laid  on,  nor  the 

267 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

expression  of  a  noble  countenance  more  perfectly 
caught  than  in  this  sketch,  a  copy  of  which  he  was 
good  enough  to  make  and  send  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  as 
he  had  promised.  'Twas  at  one  of  the  sittings  to 
Mr.  Stuart  that  Calvert  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Burke.  He  came  in  with  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds — 
the  two  gentlemen  were  the  greatest  friends — and,  on 
discovering  that  the  young  gentleman  was  an  Amer- 
ican and  had  been  attached  to  the  Legation  in  Paris, 
he  immediately  entered  into  an  animated  conversa- 
tion with  him. 

"  You  ought  to  be  able  to  give  us  some  interesting 
information  about  the  present  state  of  affairs  in 
France,  Mr.  Calvert,"  said  Burke  to  the  young  man. 
"  By  the  way,  I  have  thrown  together  some  reflections 
on  the  revolution  which  I  would  be  glad  to  have  you 
see.  They  are  elaborated  from  notes  made  a  year 
ago  and  are  still  in  manuscript.  I  live  near  here  in 
Gerrard  Street,  Soho,  and  I  would  be  happy  to  wel- 
come you  and  Mr.  Stuart  to  my  home,  and  to  have 
you  give  me  your  opinion  on  certain  points." 

Mr.  Stuart  saying  that  the  sitting  was  over,  sug- 
gested that  they  should  go  at  once,  so  the  three  gen- 
tlemen accompanied  Mr.  Burke  to  Gerrard  Street  and 
were  hospitably  ushered  into  his  library.  He  brought 
out  the  manuscript  of  which  he  had  spoken  so  lightly 
(and  which  was,  indeed,  voluminous  enough  for  a 
book)  and,  turning  over  the  pages  rapidly,  read  here 
and  there  extracts  from  that  remarkable  treatise  which 
he  thought  might  most  interest  his  audience. 

"  It  has  been  nearly  a  score  of  years  since  I  was 
268 


MR.    CALVERT   TRIES   TO   FORGET 

in  France,"  he  says  to  Mr.  Calvert,  laying  down  the 
manuscript,  "  but  the  interest  which  that  country 
aroused  in  me  then  has  never  flagged,  and  ever  since 
my  return  I  have  endeavored  to  keep  myself  informed 
of  the  progress  of  events  there.  While  in  Paris  I  was 
presented  to  their  Majesties  and  many  of  the  most 
notable  men  and  women  of  the  day.  I  remember  the 
Queen  well — surely  there  never  was  a  princess  so 
beautiful  and  so  entrancing.  She  shone  brilliant  as 
the  morning  star,  full  of  splendor  and  joy.  But  stay 
—I  have  written  what  I  thought  of  her  here,"  and  so 
saying,  he  began  to  read  that  wonderful  passage,  that 
exquisite  panegyric  of  the  Dauphiness  of  France 
which  was  soon  to  be  so  justly  famous.  There  was 
a  murmur  of  applause  from  the  gentlemen  when  he 
laid  the  manuscript  down. 

"  Tis  a  beautiful  tribute.  I  wish  Mr.  Jefferson 
could  hear  it,"  says  Mr.  Calvert,  with  a  smile.  "  He 
is  not  an  admirer  of  the  Queen,  like  yourself,  Mr. 
Burke,  and  thinks  she  should  be  shut  up  in  a  con- 
vent and  the  King  left  free  to  follow  his  ministers, 
but  I  think  your  eloquence  would  win  him  over,  if 
anything  could." 

A  couple  of  days  afterward,  at  a  dinner  at  the 
French  Ambassador's,  Monsieur  de  la  Luzerne,  Mr. 
Calvert  repeated  this  famous  panegyric  of  the  Queen- 
as  nearly  as  he  could  remember  it.  'Twas  received 
with  the  wildest  enthusiasm  and  Mr.  Burke's  health 
drunk  by  the  loyal  refugees  who  were  always  to  be 
found  at  Monsieur  de  la  Luzerne's  table  and  in  his 
drawing-rooms.  An  immense  amount  of  "  refugee  " 

269 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

was  talked  there,  and  the  latest  news  from  Paris  dis- 
cussed and  rediscussed  by  the  homesick  and  desceuvre 
emigrants.  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  were  frequent 
visitors  there,  liking  to  hear  of  their  friends  in  Paris 
and  the  events  taking  place  in  France. 

In  spite  of  all  the  distractions  and  pleasures  of  town 
life  which  Mr.  Calvert  engaged  in,  he  still  felt  those 
secret  pangs  of  bitter  disappointment  and  the  fever 
of  unsatisfied  desire,  but  he  was  both  too  unselfish 
and  too  proud  to  show  what  he  suffered.  There  are 
some  of  us  who  keep  our  dark  thoughts  and  secret, 
hopeless  longings  in  the  background,  as  the  maimed 
and  diseased  beggars  are  kept  off  the  streets  in  Paris, 
and  only  let  them  come  from  their  hiding-places  at 
long  intervals,  like  the  beggars  again,  who  crawl  forth 
once  or  twice  a  year  to  solicit  alms  and  pity.  Al- 
though Mr.  Morris  knew  Calvert  so  well,  his  im- 
petuous nature  could  never  quite  comprehend  the 
calm  fortitude,  the  silent  endurance  of  the  younger 
man,  and  so,  when  he  saw  him  apparently  amused 
and  distracted  by  the  society  to  which  he  had  been 
introduced,  and  by  the  thousand  gayeties  of  town  life, 
he  left  him  in  September  and  returned  for  a  brief  stay 
in  Paris,  happy  in  the  belief  that  the  young  man  was 
already  half-cured  of  his  passion. 

He  was  back  again  in  December  with  a  budget  of 
news  from  France.  "  The  situation  grows  desper- 
ate," he  said  to  Calvert.  "  I  told  Montmorin  and 
the  Due  de  Liancourt  that  the  constitution  the 
Assemblee  had  proposed  is  such  that  the  Almighty 
Himself  could  not  make  it  succeed  without  creating 

270 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES   TO   FORGET 

a  new  species  of  man.  The  assignats  have  depre- 
ciated, just  as  I  predicted,  the  army  is  in  revolt,  and 
the  ministers  threatened  with  la  lanterne.  'Tis  much 
the  fashion  in  Paris,  let  me  tell  you.  But  murder, 
duelling,  and  pillage — they  sacked  the  hotel  of  the 
Due  de  Castries  the  other  day  because  his  son  wounded 
Charles  de  Lameth  in  a  duel — are  every-day  occur- 
rences now.  Lafayette  is  in  a  peck  of  trouble,  and 
received  me  with  the  utmost  coldness.  He  knows 
I  cannot  commend  him,  and  therefore  he  feels  em- 
barrassed and  impatient  in  my  society.  I  am  seri- 
ously pained  for  d'Azay,  too.  I  met  him  at  Mont- 
morin's,  and  he  confessed  to  me  that  he  knew  not 
how  to  steer  his  course.  He  is  horrified  at  the  insane 
measures  of  the  Jacobins,  he  has  cut  himself  loose 
from  his  own  class,  and  is  beginning  to  doubt  La- 
fayette's wisdom  and  powers.  He  is  in  a  hopeless 
situation.  He  told  me  that  Montmorin  had  asked 
that  Carmichael  be  appointed  to  the  court  of  France, 
but  that  he  and  Beaufort  and  other  of  my  friends  had 
insisted  on  my  appointment.  'Tis  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference to  me.  Whoever  is  appointed— Short,  Car- 
michael, Madison,  or  myself — will  have  no  sinecure 
in  France.  Unhappy  country !  The  closet  philoso- 
phers who  are  trying  to  rule  it  are  absolutely  bewil- 
dered, and  I  know  not  what  will  save  the  state  unless 
it  be  a  foreign  war." 

"  Tis  the  general  opinion  here  among  the  minis- 
ters that  the  Emperor  is  too  cautious  ever  to  engage 
in  that  war,  however,"  said  Calvert. 

"  I  see  you  have  been  affiliating  with  the  peaceful 
271 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

Pitt  and  not  carousing  with  Sheridan  and  Fox,"  re- 
turned Mr.  Morris,  with  a  smile. 

"  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  learn  some  of  that 
useful  information  which  Mr.  Jefferson  recom- 
mended," said  Calvert,  smiling  also.  "  Upon  Mr. 
Pitt's  recommendation  I  have  been  reading  '  The 
Wealth  of  Nations  '  and  studying  the  political  history 
of  Europe.  Seriously,  I  hope  my  time  has  not  been 
spent  entirely  without  profit,  although  I  have  caroused, 
as  you  express  it,  to  some  extent.  I  have  drunk  more 
than  was  good  for  me,  and  I  have  gone  to  the  play 
and  tried  to  fancy  myself  in  love  with  Mrs.  Jordan,  but, 
to  tell  the  truth,  I  can't  do  any  of  these  things  with 
enthusiasm.  I'm  a  quiet  fellow,  with  nothing  of  the 
stage  hero  in  me,  and  I  can't  go  to  the  devil  for  a 
woman  after  the  approved  style." 

"  Don't  try  it,  boy !  The  pretty  ones  are  not  worth 
it  and  the  good  ones  are  not  pretty,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
cynically.  "  I  found  Madame  de  Flahaut  surround- 
ed by  half  a  dozen  new  admirers,  in  spite  of  which 
she  tried  to  make  me  believe  she  had  not  forgotten 
me  in  my  absence.  I  pretended  to  be  convinced,  of 
course,  but  I  devoted  myself  to  the  Comtesse  de  Frize, 
and  I  think  she  liked  me  all  the  better  for  my  defec- 
tion. Come  back  to  Paris  with  me  and  see  what 
Madame  de  St.  Andre  would  say  to  a  like  treatment," 
he  went  on,  laughing,  but  looking  shrewdly  at  the 
young  man. 

"  I  am  best  away  from  Paris — although  separation 
does  not  seem  to  help  me." 

"  Absence  may  extinguish  a  small  passion,  but  I 
272 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES  TO   FORGET 

think  it  only  broadens  and  deepens  a  great  one,"  said 
Mr.  Morris.  "  I  saw  many  of  our  friends — Madame 
de  Chastellux  and  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  Madame 
de  Stael  and  Madame  d'Azay — she  is  much  broken, 
Ned ;  the  emigration  of  so  many  of  her  friends,  the 
tragic  death  of  many,  the  disrupting  of  her  whole 
social  world,  has  begun  to  tell  seriously  on  her  health, 
though  her  spirit  is  still  indomitable.  She  and 
Madame  de  St.  Andre  and  d'Azay  are  living  very 
quietly  in  the  mansion  in  the  rue  St.  Honore.  In 
the  evenings  some  of  the  friends  who  still  remain 
come  in  for  a  dinner  or  to  play  quinze  or  lansquenet, 
but,  in  truth,  'tis  difficult  to  get  half  a  dozen  people 
together.  Madame  de  St.  Andre  is  more  beautiful 
than  ever,  with  a  new  and  softer  beauty.  The  horror 
of  the  times  hath  touched  her,  too,  I  think,  and  ren- 
dered more  serious  that  capricious  nature.  But  who, 
indeed,  could  live  in  Paris  and  not  be  chastened  by 
the  awful  scenes  there  enacting?  I  almost  shudder 
to  think  of  having  to  return  so  soon,  but  I  shall  only 
stay  to  see  His  Grace  of  Leeds  once  more  relative 
to  the  treaty." 

This  interview,  having  been  twice  postponed,  and 
pressing  affairs  calling  Mr.  Morris  to  France,  he 
finally  left  London  in  January  with  the  promise  of 
returning  in  the  spring.  This  promise  he  fulfilled, 
getting  back  in  May  and  bringing  with  him  news  of 
Mirabeau's  death  and  splendid  burial  and  of  the 
widespread  fear  of  a  counter-revolution  by  the  emi- 
grant army  under  the  Prince  de  Conde.  He  was 
warmly  welcomed  by  Calvert,  who,  in  spite  of  the 

273 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

many  kind  offices  and  attentions  of  the  friends  he  had 
made,  was  beginning  to  weary  of  the  English  capital. 
In  truth,  he  was  possessed  by  a  restlessness  that 
would  have  sent  him  home  had  he  not  wished  to 
respect  Mr.  Jefferson's  advice  and  make  a  tour  on  the 
continent  before  returning.  He  hoped  to  persuade 
Mr.  Morris  to  accompany  him,  and  in  this  he  was 
not  disappointed.  Accordingly,  after  a  month  in 
London,  they  set  out  for  Rotterdam  and,  travelling 
leisurely  through  the  Low  Countries,  made  their  way 
to  Cologne.  It  was  while  waiting  there  for  a  boat 
to  take  them  up  the  Rhine — both  Mr.  Morris  and 
Calvert  were  anxious  to  make  this  water  trip — that 
they  heard  the  news,  already  two  weeks  old,  of  the  flight 
of  their  Majesties  and  of  Monsieur  from  France  and 
of  the  recapture  of  the  King  and  Queen  at  Varennes. 
Monsieur  had  escaped  safely  to  Brussels  and  had 
made  his  way  to  Coblentz,  where  Mr.  Morris  and  Cal- 
vert saw  him  later.  He  was  installed  in  a  castle,  placed 
at  his  service  by  the  Elector  of  Treves,  which  over- 
looked the  great  fortress  of  Ehrenbreitstein,  and  there 
he  held  his  little  court  and  made  merry  with  the  offi- 
cers of  the  Prince  de  Conde's  army  and  the  throngs  of 
emigres  who  came  and  went  and  did  a  vast  deal  of 
talking  and  even  laughing  over  their  misfortunes,  but 
who  never  seemed  to  learn  a  lesson  from  them. 
Coblentz  was  full  of  these  exiles  from  France,  who 
treated  the  townsfolk  with  a  mixture  of  condescension 
and  rudeness  which  caused  them  to  speedily  become 
detested.  There  was  one  little  cafe  in  particular,  Les 
Trois  Colonnes,  which  they  frequented,  and  where 

274 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES   TO   FORGET 

they  laughed  and  gambled  and  made  witty  speeches 
and  tremendous  threats  against  the  men  in  France 
from  whom  they  had  run  away.  It  was  at  this  little 
inn  that  Mr.  Calvert  one  day  saw  Monsieur  de  St. 
Aulaire  for  the  first  time  in  two  years.  He  came  into 
the  gaming-room  where  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  were 
sitting  at  a  side-table  drinking  a  glass  of  cognac  and 
talking  with  Monsieur  de  Puymaigre,  one  of  the 
Prince  de  Conde's  officers.  As  his  glance  met  that  of 
Mr.  Calvert,  he  bowed  constrainedly,  and  the  red  of 
his  face  deepened.  He  was  more  dissipated-looking, 
less  debonair  than  he  had  seemed  to  Calvert  in  Ma- 
dame d'Azay's  salon.  There  was  an  uneasiness,  too, 
in  his  manner  that  was  reflected  in  the  attitude  toward 
him  of  the  other  gentlemen  in  the  room.  In  fact,  he 
was  welcomed  coldly  enough,  and  in  a  few  days  he  left 
the  town.  'Twas  rumored  pretty  freely  that  he  was 
an  emissary  of  Orleans  and  that  Monsieur  and  the 
Prince  de  Conde  were  in  a  hurry  to  get  rid  of  him.  Mr. 
Calvert  was  of  this  belief,  which  was  confirmed  by 
St.  Aulaire  himself  when  Calvert  met  him  unexpect- 
edly during  the  winter  in  London. 

This  journey,  so  pleasantly  begun  and  which  was 
to  have  continued  through  the  fall,  was  interrupted, 
shortly  after  the  two  gentlemen  left  Coblentz,  by  a 
pressing  and  disquieting  letter  which  urged  Mr.  Mor- 
ris's presence  in  Paris.  He  therefore  left  Calvert  to 
continue  the  tour  alone,  which  the  young  man  did, 
travelling  through  Germany  and  stopping  at  many  of 
the  famous  watering-places,  and  even  going  as  far  as 
the  Austrian  capital,  where  he  met  with  a  young  Mr. 

275 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

Huger  of  the  Carolinas.  This  young  American,  who 
was  an  ardent  admirer  of  Lafayette  and  who  was 
destined  to  attempt  to  serve  him  and  suffer  for  him, 
accompanied  Mr.  Calvert  as  far  as  Lake  Constance, 
where  they  parted,  Mr.  Calvert  going  on  to  Bale  and 
up  through  the  Austrian  Netherlands.  He  passed 
through  Maubeuge  and  Lille  and  Namur,  and  so  was, 
fortunately,  made  familiar  with  places  he  was  to  see 
something  of  a  little  later  in  the  service  of  his  Majesty 
Louis  XVI. 

He  was  back  in  London  by  Christmas,  and  was 
joined  there  shortly  after  the  New  Year  by  Mr.  Morris, 
who  had  gone  over  on  private  affairs  entirely,  but 
whose  close  connection  with  the  court  party  in  France 
laid  open  to  the  suspicion  of  being  an  agent  of  the 
aristocratic  party. 

"  I  heard  the  rumors  myself,"  said  Mr.  Morris. 
"  Indeed,  I  was  openly  told  of  it  before  leaving  Paris. 
But  only  a  madman  would  interfere  in  French  politics 
at  this  hour.  The  whole  country  is  in  a  state  of  dis- 
organization almost  inconceivable.  The  King — poor 
creature — has  been  reinstated,  after  a  fashion,  since 
his  flight,  but  with  most  unkingly  limitations.  All 
political  parties  are  broken  up — Lafayette  and  Bailly 
and  the  Lameths  find  themselves  in  an  impossible 
position  and  have  seceded  from  the  Jacobins.  For  two 
years  now  they  have  been  preaching  the  pure  democ- 
racy of  Rousseau,  the  rights  of  man,  the  sovereignty 
of  the  people.  They  have  done  everything  to  deprive 
the  King  of  his  power,  they  have  hurled  abuse  at  the 
throne,  at  the  whole  Old  Order  of  things.  And  now, 

276 


MR.   CALVERT   TRIES   TO   FORGET 

when  they  see  to  what  chaos  things  are  coming,  when 
they  wish  to  stop  at  moderation,  at  order,  at  a  mon- 
archy based  on  solid  principles  and  supported  by  the 
solid  middle  class,  they  are  suddenly  made  to  realize 
how  little  their  theories  correspond  with  their  real 
desires.  Incapacity,  misrule,  is  everywhere.  Nar- 
bonne  has  been  made  War  Minister !  At  this  crisis, 
when  the  allied  armies  are  gathering  on  the  frontier, 
when  war  is  imminent  against  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  of  the  finest  soldiers  in  Europe,  a 
trifler  like  Narbonne  is  placed  in  power!  But  if 
others  were  no  worse  than  he !  'Tis  incredible  the 
villains  who  have  pushed  themselves  into  the  high 
places.  Can  you  believe  it,  boy? — your  servant,  that 
scoundrel  Bertrand,  that  soldier  of  the  ranks,  that 
waiter  of  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole,  is  a  great  man  in  Paris 
these  days.  He  is  listened  to  by  thousands  when  he 
rants  in  the  garden  of  the  Palais  Royal ;  he  is  hand  in 
glove  with  Danton ;  he  divides  attention  with  Robes- 
pierre ;  he  is  a  power  in  himself.  Heaven  knows  how 
he  has  become  so — but  these  creatures  spring  up  like 
mushrooms  in  a  night.  I  saw  much  of  Danton  and 
not  a  little  of  Bertrand,  for  I  frequented  the  Cordel- 
liers  Club  a  good  deal.  'Tis  well  to  stand  in  with  all 
parties,  especially  if  there  is  even  a  remote  chance 
of  my  being  placed  as  minister  at  the  French  court. 
'Tis  so  rumored  in  Paris,  and  the  elections  are  now 
taking  place  in  America,  so  Mr.  Short  informs  me. 
"  I  heard  of  St.  Aulaire,"  went  on  Mr.  Morris. 
"  Beaufort  told  me  that  he  had  got  into  Paris  se- 
cretly on  the  Due  d'Orleans's  business,  but  that  he 

277 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

had  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the  rue  St.  Honore, 
pressing  his  suit  with  Madame  de  St.  Andre.  She 
would  have  none  of  him,  however,  and  seems  to  have 
conceived  a  sort  of  horror  of  him — as,  indeed,  well 
she  might.  He  went  away,  raging,  Beaufort  said, 
and  vowing  some  mysterious  vengeance.  He  is  be- 
lieved to  be  in  London,  Ned,  and  I  dare  say  we  shall 
meet  with  him  some  day.  D'Azay  has  been  denounced 
in  the  Assembly  and  is  in  bad  odor  with  all  parties, 
apparently.  I  fear  he  is  in  imminent  peril,  and  'tis 
pitiful  to  see  the  anxiety  of  his  sister  and  the  old 
Duchess  for  him.  I  think  she  would  not  survive  the 
shock  should  he  be  imprisoned.  'Twould  be  but  an- 
other gap  in  the  ranks  of  our  friends." 

The  appointment  of  American  ministers  to  the  dif- 
ferent foreign  courts  was  in  progress,  as  Mr.  Short 
had  said,  and,  on  January  I2th,  Mr.  Morris,  after  a 
stormy  debate  in  the  Senate,  was  chosen  Minister  to 
France  by  a  majority  of  only  five  votes  out  of  sixteen. 
He  was  told  of  his  appointment  by  Mr.  Constable 
in  February  and,  shortly  after,  received  the  official 
notice  of  it  under  the  seal  of  the  Secretary  of  State. 
Although  Mr.  Jefferson  had  differed  radically  from 
Mr.  Morris  in  his  opinion  concerning  the  French  Revo- 
lution, knowing  him  as  he  did,  he  could  not  but  affirm 
both  officially  and  personally  so  wise  a  choice. 

The  President's  indorsement  of  Mr.  Morris  was 
even  more  hearty,  and,  indeed,  'twas  hinted  by  Mr. 
Morris's  enemies  that  Washington's  open  approval 
of  him  had  alone  saved  him  from  defeat.  But  though 
the  President  was  of  the  opinion  that  Mr.  Morris  was 

278 


MR.   CALVERT  TRIES   TO   FORGET 

the  best  possible  choice  for  the  difficult  post  of  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  from  the  United  States  to  France,  he 
was  also  entirely  aware  of  those  traits  of  character 
which,  his  opponents  urged,  rendered  him  unsuited 
for  the  place.  His  impetuosity,  occasional  haughtiness, 
and  close  connection  with  the  aristocratic  party,  were 
disabilities  undoubtedly,  but  the  President  was  con- 
vinced that  they  were  far  more  than  counterbalanced 
by  his  force  of  character,  mental  keenness,  and  wide 
knowledge  of  French  affairs,  and  so  wrote  Mr.  Morris 
in  one  of  the  kindest  letters  that  great  man  ever  penned. 
This  letter  Mr.  Morris  received  in  the  spirit  in  which 
it  was  written,  and,  being  already  involved  in  a  secret 
affair,  of  which,  as  minister,  he  should  not  even  have 
known,  much  less  been  engaged  in,  he  determined 
to  withdraw  himself  from  it  as  speedily  as  possible 
and  to  conduct  himself  with  such  discretion  that  the 
President  would  have  no  occasion  to  regret  his  efforts 
in  his  behalf.  He  immediately  set  about  making  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  his  new  establishment, 
writing  to  Paris  to  engage  a  hotel  in  the  rue  de  la 
Planche,  Faubourg  St.  Germain,  for  the  new  Lega- 
tion, and  forwarding  to  France  as  rapidly  as  possible 
the  English  horses  and  coach,  the  furniture  and  plate 
which  he  had  purchased  in  London.  He  set  out  for 
Paris  in  early  March,  leaving  Calvert  again  in  Lon- 
don, though  he  pressed  the  young  man  urgently  to 
accompany  him  back  to  the  capital  and  accept  the  post 
of  Secretary  of  the  Legation  under  him. 


279 


CHAPTER  XVII 

MR.     CALVERT    MEETS    AN    OLD    ENEMY 

THIS  kind,  and  even  brilliant,  offer  of  Mr.  Morris's 
Calvert  declined,  reiterating  smilingly  to  that  gentle- 
man that  he  felt  himself  a  little  better  of  that  fever  of 
love  and  disappointment  which  he  had  endured  in 
silence  for  so  long,  and  that  he  had  no  intention  of 
suffering  a  relapse.  Indeed,  he  might  have  got  over 
it  in  time,  and  been  as  contented  as  many  another  man, 
but  that  he  was  suddenly  recalled  to  all  that  he  had 
tried  so  sedulously  for  two  years  to  forget.  This  was 
brought  about  by  a  meeting  with  Monsieur  le  Baron 
de  St.  Aulaire  a  couple  of  weeks  after  Mr.  Morris's 
departure  for  Paris.  Although  it  was  known  that  the 
French  nobleman  was  in  London,  Mr.  Calvert  did  not 
see  him  until  one  evening  at  the  house  of  Monsieur 
de  la  Luzerne.  A  large  company  had  gathered  at  the 
Ambassador's,  where  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  pre- 
sented himself  toward  the  end  of  the  evening.  'Twas 
so  evident  that  he  had  been  drinking  deeply  that  Cal- 
vert would  have  avoided  him,  but  that  the  tipsy  noble- 
man, catching  sight  of  him,  made  his  way  directly  to 
him. 

"  At  last,  Monsieur,"  he  said,  bowing  low  and  lay- 
ing his  hand  unsteadily  on  the  small  sword  he  wore 
at  his  side. 

280 


MR.  CALVERT  MEETS  AN  OLD  ENEMY 

"  Well,"  replied  Mr.  Calvert,  coldly,  by  no  means 
pleased  at  the  attention  bestowed  upon  him  so  unex- 
pectedly. Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  sober  he  found 
objectionable ;  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  drunk  was  in- 
sufferable. 

'  Well  '  is  a  cold  welcome,  Mr.  Calvert/'  he  said, 
the  insolent  smile  deepening  on  his  lips. 

"  I  am  not  here  to  welcome  you,  Monsieur,"  re- 
turned Calvert,  indifferently. 

Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  waved  his  hand  lightly  as 
if  flinging  off  the  insult,  but  the  flush  on  his  dissi- 
pated face  deepened.  Calvert,  seeing  that  he  could 
not  be  got  rid  of  immediately,  drew  him  into  a  little 
anteroom  where  they  were  almost  alone. 

"  And  yet  I  wished  profoundly  that  we  might 
meet,  Monsieur — more  so,  apparently,  I  regret  to  say, 
than  you  have.  I  have  seen  friends  of  ours  in  Paris 
since  you  have  had  that  pleasure,  Monsieur,"  says  St. 
Aulaire,  throwing  himself  across  a  chair  and  resting 
his  folded  arms  on  the  back. 

"  Indeed." 

"  You  are  cold-blooded,  Monsieur — 'tis  a  grave 
fault.  You  miss  half  the  pleasures  of  life — but  I 
think  you  would  like  to  know  whom  I  mean.  Confess, 
Monsieur !  But  there,  I  see  you  know — who  else 
could  it  be  but  Madame  de  St.  Andre?"  and  the 
insolent  smile  broke  into  a  still  more  insolent 
laugh. 

"  We  will  leave  Madame  de  St.  Andre's  name  out 
of  this  conversation,  Monsieur." 

"  Pardieu !     So  you  think  I  am  not  worthy  to  men- 
281 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

tion  it,  Monsieur,"  cried  St.  Aulaire,  half-rising  and 
laying  his  hand  again  on  his  dress  sword. 

"  I  know  it,  Monsieur,"  retorted  Calvert,  coolly. 

"  You  are  not  so  cold-blooded  after  all !  I  have 
struck  fire  at  last !  "  said  St.  Aulaire,  looking  at  Cal- 
vert for  an  instant  and  then  breaking  into  a  drunken 
laugh  as  he  reseated  himself.  "  Tis  a  pity  Madame 
de  St.  Andre  has  not  my  luck — for,  look  you,  Mon- 
sieur," he  went  on,  leaning  over  the  back  of  the  chair 
and  shaking  his  finger  at  Calvert,  "  I  think  she  likes 
you  and  would  be  kind — very  kind — to  you,  should 
you  be  inclined  to  return  to  Paris  and  tempt  your 
fortune." 

"  Were  you  sober,  Monsieur,  I  would  ask  you  for 
five  minutes  and  a  pair  of  pistols  or  rapiers,  if  you 
prefer,"  says  Calvert,  white  and  threatening. 

"  By  God,  Monsieur,  how  dare  you  say  I  am 
drunk  ?  "  flings  out  the  other,  rising  so  unsteadily  as 
to  overturn  the  chair,  which  crashed  upon  the  floor. 
"  But  I  have  no  time  for  duels  just  now.  I  have  other 
and  more  important  business  in  hand.  Later — later, 
sir,  and  I  will  be  at  your  service.  I  add  that  insult 
to  the  long  list  I  have  against  you.  I  will  punish  you 
when  the  time  comes,  but  first  I  must  punish  her.  She 
would  not  even  listen  to  me.  She  crushed  me  with 
her  disdain.  'Tis  another  favor  I  have  to  thank  you 
for,  Monsieur,  I  think."  He  was  quite  wild  and 
flushed  by  this  time,  and  spoke  so  thickly  that  Calvert 
could  scarce  understand  him.  The  few  gentlemen 
who  had  been  lounging  in  the  anteroom  had  retired, 
thinking  not  to  overhear  a  conversation  evidently  so 

282 


MR.  CALVERT  MEETS  AN  OLD  ENEMY 

personal  and  stormy,  so  that  they  were  quite  alone. 
As  St.  Aulaire  reeled  forward,  a  sudden  thought  came 
to  Calvert. 

" '  In  vino  vcritas,'  "  he  said  to  himself,  and  then — 
"  How  do  you  propose  punishing  Madame  de  St. 
Andre,  Monsieur?  "  he  asked,  slowly,  aloud,  and  look- 
ing nonchalantly  at  the  distorted  face  before  him. 

St.  Aulaire  laughed.  "  I  am  not  as  drunk  as  you 
think  me,  Monsieur  Calvert,"  he  said.  "  Tis  enough 
that  I  know  and  shall  act.  By  God,  sir,"  he  cried, 
suddenly  starting  up,  "  shall  a  man  stand  everything 
and  have  no  revenge?  Let  Madame  de  St.  Andre 
take  care  !  Let  d'Azay  take  care  !  Should  you  be  in- 
clined to  go  to  their  rescue,  Monsieur,  perhaps  we 
may  meet  again !  "  and  with  a  mocking  smile  on  his 
wicked,  handsome  face,  he  flung  himself  out  of  the 
room. 

The  young  man  sat  for  a  long  while  where  St. 
Aulaire  had  left  him,  pondering  upon  this  strange 
meeting  and  the  mysterious  hints  and  threats  thrown 
out.  He  could  make  nothing  of  them,  but  it  was 
clear  that  some  danger  menaced  those  he  loved  in 
France,  and  he  felt  only  too  well  assured  that  St. 
Aulaire  would  stop  at  nothing.  Indeed,  it  did  not 
need  a  personal  and  malignant  enemy  to  bring  ter- 
ror and  death  to  any  in  Paris,  as  he  knew.  Terror 
and  death  were  in  the  air.  The  last  despatches  from 
the  capital  had  told  of  almost  inconceivable  horrors 
being  there  perpetrated.  "  Aristocrats  in  Paris  must 
keep  quiet  or  the  aristocrats  will  hang,"  Mr.  Morris 
had  said  to  him  tersely  one  evening  just  before  leaving. 

283 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

Suddenly  an  overwhelming  desire  to  go  to  France,  to 
be  near  Adrienne,  to  avert,  if  humanly  possible,  this 
unknown,  but,  as  he  felt,  no  less  real  danger,  took 
possession  of  him.  All  the  tenderness  for  her,  which 
he  had  hoped  and  believed  was  dying  within  him, 
revived  at  the  thought  of  the  peril  she  was  in.  For 
himself  he  felt  there  could  be  no  danger,  and  it  was 
possible  that  his  standing  as  an  American  and  his 
close  connection  with  the  American  Minister  might  be 
of  service  to  her.  But  whatever  the  consequences  to 
himself — and  he  thought  with  far  more  dread  of  the 
revival  of  his  love,  which  the  sight  and  near  presence 
of  her  would  surely  bring,  than  of  any  physical  dan- 
ger to  himself — he  felt  it  to  be  unendurable  to  be  so 
near  her  and  yet  not  to  be  near  enough  to  render 
her  aid  if  danger  threatened.  He  thought  of  d'Azay 
and  Beaufort  and  Lafayette,  of  Mr.  Morris,  re-estab- 
lished there,  and  of  all  those  great  and  terrible  events 
taking  place,  and  he  suddenly  found  himself  a  thou- 
sand times  more  anxious  to  get  back  to  Paris  than 
he  had  ever  been  to  leave  it,  and  wondered  how  he 
could  have  stayed  away  so  long.  He  sat  alone  in  the 
little  anteroom  thinking  of  these  things  until  almost 
the  last  of  the  guests  had  gone,  and  then,  bidding  the 
Ambassador  and  Ambassadress  good-night,  he,  too, 
left,  walking  to  his  lodgings,  thinking  the  while  of  his 
return  to  Paris  and  the  Legation,  where  he  felt  assured 
he  would  receive  a  warm  welcome  from  Mr.  Morris. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MR.  CALVERT  FIGHTS  A  DUEL 

THE  welcome  which  Mr.  Calvert  received  at  the 
Legation  was  even  more  cordial  than  he  had  dared 
to  hope  for,  Mr.  Morris  being  surprised  and  delighted 
beyond  measure  by  the  young  man's  sudden  arrival. 
As  for  Calvert,  the  sight  of  his  old  friend  and  the 
cheerful,  sumptuous  air  of  the  new  Legation,  where 
Mr.  Morris  was  but  just  established,  were  inexpressi- 
bly pleasant. 

"  I  think  you  have  a  talent  for  making  yourself  com- 
fortable even  in  the  midst  of  horrors,"  he  said,  looking 
about  the  brilliantly  lit  drawing-room,  for  Mr.  Morris 
was  expecting  a  large  company  to  supper.  "  In  these 
rooms  I  can  scarcely  believe  I  have  been  for  days 
travelling  through  a  country  strangely  and  terribly 
changed  since  I  last  saw  it — so  desolate  and  soldier- 
ridden  and  suspicious  that  I  am  truly  glad  to  get  within 
these  walls.  And  to-night,  when  my  passport  had 
been  examined  for  the  hundredth  time  since  leaving 
Havre  and  we  had  passed  the  city  barrier,  I  thought 
the  very  look  and  sound  of  these  streets  of  Paris  had 
changed  utterly  in  the  last  two  years." 

"And  indeed  they  have,  Ned,"  returned  Mr.  Morris, 
earnestly.  "  Each  day  sees  that  difference  grow  more 
and  more  marked,  more  and  more  terrible.  Anarchy 

285 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

and  bloodshed  are  becoming  rampant,  all  semblance 
of  order  is  gone.  The  rest  of  the  diplomatic  corps  look 
upon  me  as  a  madman  to  come  here  at  this  time  and 
set  up  a  legation.  They  are  asking  for  their  passports 
— the  Spanish  Minister  withdrew  yesterday  and  Lord 
Gower  is  in  the  devil  of  a  fright,"  he  says,  laughing. 
"  But  as  for  myself,  1  have  no  fear  and  shall  uphold 
the  interests  and  independence  of  the  American  Le- 
gation to  the  last  gasp.  God  only  knows  whether 
this  house  will  prove  a  protection,  but,  in  all  events, 
I  shall  not  abandon  it,  nor  my  friends  here,  voluntar- 
ily," he  adds,  intrepidly.  "  I  could  have  wished, 
however,  boy,  that  events  had  kept  you  out  of  France 
just  now.  Though  I  urged  you  tc  accompany  me, 
when  I  returned  and  realized  the  awful  state  of  affairs 
here,  I  was  heartily  glad  you  had  not  yielded  to  my 
wishes." 

"  As  it  happened,  though,"  said  Calvert,  "  events 
have  brought  me,"  and  in  a  few  words  he  told  Mr. 
Morris  of  all  that  had  occurred  at  the  house  of  Mon- 
sieur de  la  Luzerne,  and  of  the  uneasiness  he  felt  at 
the  manner  and  threats  of  St.  Aulaire. 

"  He  is  capable  of  any  villany.  We  must  thresh  this 
matter  out  to-morrow,  Ned.  Had  I  known  you  were 
coming  I  would  have  had  no  guests  here  to-night. 
We  could  have  had  a  quiet  evening  together,  and  I 
could  have  shown  you  over  my  new  establishment. 
All  this  must  wait,  however,  and  now  you  had  best 
go  to  your  room  and  dress  for  supper."  But  Mr. 
Calvert,  begging  to  be  excused  from  the  company  that 
evening,  and  saying  that  he  would  go  out  by  himself 

286 


MR.  CALVERT  FIGHTS  A  DUEL 

and  get  a  look  at  this  changed  Paris,  left  Mr.  Morris 
to  entertain  his  guests,  who  were  beginning  to 
arrive. 

"  I  would  offer  you  my  carriage/'  said  Mr.  Morris, 
as  the  young  man  turned  away,  "  but  'twere  best  you 
walked  abroad.  Carriages  are  but  little  the  fashion 
these  days — they  are  being  rapidly  abolished  along 
with  even-thing  else  that  makes  life  comfortable  in 
this  city." 

Mr.  Calvert  went  out  into  the  dimly  lit  street  that, 
despite  the  hour,  was  full  of  a  restless  throng  of  people, 
who  seemed  to  be  wandering  about  as  aimlessly  as 
himself.  Here  and  there  he  encountered  squads  of 
the  National  Guard  being  manoeuvred  by  their  lieu- 
tenants, here  and  there  mobs  of  ragged  men,  shouting 
and  cursing  and  bearing  torches  which  rained  sparks 
of  fire  as  they  were  swung  aloft,  and  once,  as  he  passed 
the  Abbaie  St.  Germain  des  Pres,  a  horrible  throng 
pressed  by  him,  holding  high  in  their  midst  a  head 
on  a  dripping  pike.  He  turned  away,  sick  at  the  sight, 
and,  making  his  way  down  by  the  quays,  crossed  by 
the  Pont  Royal  to  the  other  side  of  the  city.  He 
stopped  for  an  instant  on  the  bridge  to  look  down 
the  river,  and,  as  he  did  so,  he  recalled  that  Christmas 
Eve  two  years  before  when  he  and  Mr.  Morris  had 
stood  on  that  same  spot.  Much,  very  much,  had  hap- 
pened since;  it  seemed  as  if  both  a  long  and  a  short 
time  had  elapsed :  perhaps  the  greatest  difference  he 
felt  was  that  then  he  had  been  eager  to  leave  Paris; 
now  he  was  relieved  to  be  back.  He  strolled  along 
under  the  glittering  stars  and  the  fast-sailing  clouds, 

287 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

through  ill-lighted  streets  and  past  deserted  mansions 
whose  owners  were  in  voluntary  exile  beyond  the 
Rhine,  until  he  suddenly  bethought  himself  of  a  little 
cafe  in  the  Champs  Elysees  not  far  from  the  Demi- 
Lune  du  Cours  de  la  Reine,  where  he  and  Mr.  Jefferson 
and  Mr.  Morris  had  often  gone  together.  It  occurred 
to  him  that  he  was  both  thirsty  and  a  little  tired,  and 
that  he  would  turn  in  there  for  something  to  drink 
and  to  see  what  might  be  happening. 

Not  much  was  happening,  for  a  wonder.  The  gusty 
March  wind,  sweeping  through  the  gardens  and  under 
the  lighted  arcades,  seemed  to  have  swept  away  the 
usual  throng  of  strollers  in  the  Champs  Elysees.  Even 
the  cafe  was  deserted  except  for  a  small  group  in  a 
far  corner  of  the  room,  which  Mr.  Calvert  scarce  no- 
ticed as  he  passed  in.  A  cheerful  fire  was  burning 
in  an  open  grate,  near  which  were  set  a  screen  and 
a  settle.  Mr.  Calvert  ensconced  himself  comfortably 
in  this  cosy  corner  and,  calling  for  a  glass  of  wine, 
fell  to  reading  the  day's  copy  of  the  Moniteur  lying 
on  the  table  beside  him.  But  his  thoughts  were  other- 
where than  with  the  account  of  the  Assembly's  proceed- 
ings. Although  he  was  in  Paris  and  near  the  woman 
he  loved,  he  was  as  greatly  in  the  dark  as  ever  as  to 
what  course  to  pursue  to  protect  her.  He  knew  not 
in  what  direction  to  turn,  seeing  that  he  knew  not  what 
danger  threatened.  After  he  had  seen  St.  Aulaire, 
pressing  affairs  had  detained  him  in  London  three 
days  before  he  could  set  out  for  Paris.  He  knew 
not  whether  that  worthy  had  arrived  there  before  him 
or  not — whether  he  intended  to  return  to  Paris  at  all 

288 


MR.  CALVERT  FIGHTS  A  DUEL 

or  to  work  through  some  secret  agency.  A  thousand 
vague  plans  for  discovering  these  things  floated 
through  his  mind  and  were  rejected  one  after  the  other. 
All  were  alike  in  one  respect — she  must  not  know,  if 
possible,  that  he  was  rendering  her  any  service. 
Though  he  realized  that  this  danger  hanging  over  her 
endeared  her  to  him  a  thousand  times  more  than  ever, 
though  the  chivalry  of  his  nature  impelled  him  to 
serve  her,  he  knew  she  did  not  love  him,  nor  ever  could, 
and  all  the  pride  and  hardness  of  youth  made  him 
resolve  to  guard  his  secret  more  jealously  than  ever. 
He  had  humbled  himself  once  before  her  and  she  had 
treated  him  lightly,  indifferently,  contemptuously,  and 
he  had  no  mind  to  suffer  a  second  humiliation. 

Upon  one  thing  he  was  resolved — that  he  would  see 
d'Azay  in  the  morning  and  discover  if  he  knew  of  any 
peril  that  threatened.  As  this  thought  passed  through 
his  mind  he  suddenly  heard  d'Azay's  name  distinctly 
pronounced  from  the  other  side  of  the  room.  He  laid 
the  copy  of  the  Moniteur,  which  he  had  been  turning 
in  his  hands,  quietly  down  upon  the  table  and  listened. 
The  voices  from  the  corner,  which  had  been  low  and 
confused  on  his  entrance,  were  now  louder  and  bolder. 
Either  the  speakers  did  not  know  that  they  were  not 
alone  or  else  the  wine  had  made  them  careless. 

r  'Tis  a  pleasure  I  have  long  had  in  contemplation 
and  which  has  become  peculiarly  dear  to  me  of  late," 
and  the  speaker  laughed  mockingly.  "  I  shall  de- 
nounce d'Azay  to-morrow." 

Calvert  started  and  looked  hurriedly  through  the 
small  panel  of  glass  at  the  top  of  the  screen.  Even 

289 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

before  he  looked  he  knew  he  was  not  mistaken — • 
St.  Aulaire  sat  at  the  table  with  three  companions, 
and  it  was  he  who  had  spoken.  Two  of  the  men — one 
of  them  had  a  most  villainous  countenance — Calvert 
had  never  seen  before,  but  the  third  one  he  discovered, 
to  his  intense  surprise,  was  Bertrand — Bertrand,  whose 
honest  lackey's  face  now  wore  a  curious  and  sinister 
look  of  power  and  importance.  So,  it  was  in  the  so- 
ciety of  such  that  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  now  talked 
and  drank  familiarly ! 

"  He  has  already  been  denounced  and  released," 
says  Bertrand,  moodily. 

"  He  will  not  be  released  this  time,"  replies  St. 
Aulaire,  with  so  much  evident  satisfaction  as  to  strike 
one  of  the  other  two  drinkers  with  astonishment. 

"Not  entirely  a  matter  of  patriotism,  I  judge?" 
he  questioned,  with  a  chuckle. 

"  A  duty  I  owe  myself  as  well  as  to  my  country," 
says  St.  Aulaire,  so  much  mocking  meaning  in  his 
voice  and  glance  that  his  three  listeners  fell  to  laugh- 
ing. 

"  There  is  a  lady  to  whom  I  owe  a  small  debt  of 
ingratitude,  and  I  like  best  to  settle  the  case  in  this 
fashion." 

So  that  was  his  method  of  punishment !  To  strike 
Adrienne  through  her  brother — to  spare  her  and  take 
away  all  that  she  loved !  Calvert  thought  'twas  a  way 
worthy  of  its  author,  and  so  strong  a  desire  took 
possession  of  him  to  leap  upon  St.  Aulaire  and  strike 
him  dead  that  he  caught  hold  of  the  sides  of  the  chair 
to  restrain  himself. 

290 


MR.  CALVERT  FIGHTS  A  DUEL 

"  But  you  are  not  a  member  of  the  Assembly,"  ob- 
jected the  man  who  had  hitherto  kept  silent. 

"  I  have  observed  that  a  denunciation  from  the  gal- 
lery is  more  dramatic  and  effective  than  one  from  the 
floor.  Besides,  there  is  no  one  just  at  present  to  do 
it  for  me.  I  am  well  prepared.  When  I  rise  to- 
morrow and  call  the  attention  of  Monsieur  de  Gen- 
sonne  to  the  fact  that  I  have  proof  of  the  treasonable 
relations  of  Monsieur  d'Azay  with  the  chiefs  of  the 
counter-revolutionists  across  the  Rhine,  'twill  be  as  if 
Monsieur  d'Azay  already  stood  condemned  before  the 
bar  of  the  Assembly,"  and  he  struck  the  table  with 
his  clinched  fist. 

While  the  glasses  were  still  rattling  from  the  blow 
and  St.  Aulaire's  companions  laughing  at  his  ve- 
hemence, Mr.  Calvert  made  his  decision.  By  St.  Au- 
laire's own  confession  there  was  no  one  else  inter- 
ested, for  the  moment,  at  least,  in  denouncing  d'Azay. 
If  he  were  out  of  the  way  that  denunciation  would 
not  take  place  and  d'Azay  might  be  got  out  of  Paris. 
At  all  hazards  and  at  all  costs  St.  Aulaire  must  not 
go  to  the  Assembly  on  the  next  day.  At  all  hazards 
and  at  all  costs  St.  Aulaire  must  not  know  that  he, 
Calvert,  desired  to  prevent  his  going.  He  must  be 
surprised,  driven  to  his  own  destruction,  if  it  could 
be  done. 

Very  quietly  Calvert  arose  from  his  place  by  the  fire, 
and,  passing  out  by  a  door  concealed  from  the  rest 
of  the  room  by  the  screen,  he  made  his  way  through 
a  vestibule,  where  he  put  on  his  coat  and  hat  again 
and  so  back  into  the  room  he  had  just  left.  But  this 

291 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

time  he  entered  noisily  and  by  an  entrance  near  the 
table,  at  which  were  seated  St.  Aulaire  and  his  friends. 
At  sight  of  St.  Aulaire  Mr.  Calvert  affected  an  ex- 
treme surprise.  He  bowed  low,  and  smiling,  but 
without  a  word,  he  advanced  to  him  and,  drawing  off 
his  heavy  glove,  struck  him  with  it  across  his  flushed 
face.  The  four  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  Bertrand, 
recognizing  Calvert,  called  out,  "  Monsieur — Mon- 
sieur Calvert !  "  All  his  airs  of  equality  and  impor- 
tance fell  from  him,  and  he  ran  toward  his  former 
master,  but  Calvert  waved  him  aside. 

"  The  last  time  Monsieur  de  St.  Aulaire  and  I  met, 
gentlemen,"  says  Calvert,  looking  around  contempt- 
uously at  the  company,  "  he  insulted  me  grossly. 
Unfortunately  he  was  drunk — drunk,  I  repeat  it,  and 
in  no  condition  to  answer  for  himself.  I  demand 
satisfaction  to-night." 

"  And,  by  God !  you  shall  have  it,"  cried  St.  Au- 
laire, half  beside  himself.  His  face  was  quite  white 
now  except  for  the  red  mark  across  it,  which  Calvert's 
blow  had  furrowed,  and  his  eyes  were  wild  and  star- 
ing. The  suddenness  and  fierceness  of  Calvert's  attack 
had  driven  every  thought  out  of  his  mind  but  the  wish 
to  avenge  the  insult  offered  him,  and  almost  without 
a  word  more  the  party  left  the  room  and  went  out  into 
one  of  the  allees  of  the  Champs  Elysees  close  beside 
the  cafe.  Such  affairs  were  so  common  in  the  Champs 
Elysees  and  elsewhere  in  Paris  in  those  days  that, 
though  they  were  but  a  few  feet  from  the  public  thor- 
oughfare, they  apprehended  no  interference  from  the 
guard  or  the  passers-by.  'Twas  the  aristocratic  mode 

292 


MR.  CALVERT  FIGHTS  A  DUEL 

of  helping  forward  the  revolution,  and  there  were  al- 
most as  many  victims  by  it  as  by  the  more  republican 
one  of  la  lanterne  and  the  pike. 

Though  it  was  the  first  affair  of  honor  that  Calvert 
had  ever  been  engaged  in,  the  compelling  necessity  he 
was  under  and  that  unusual'  steadiness  and  calmness 
of  character  he  possessed  rendered  him  less  nervous 
and  more  master  of  himself  than  was  the  older  man, 
who  had  had  numberless  affairs  of  the  kind. 

"  Will  you  choose  swords  or  will  you  fight  in  the 
English  mode  with  pistols  ?  "  said  Calvert,  with  an- 
other low  bow  to  St.  Aulaire. 

"  Both,  by  God !  "  shouted  St.  Aulaire.  "  We  will 
follow  the  lead  of  Bazencourt  and  St.  Luce !  "  But 
here  Bertrand  and  another  of  his  companions  inter- 
fered (the  third  and  villainous-looking  fellow  said 
nothing  and  seemed  indifferent  on  the  subject),  and 
declared  they  could  not  be  party  to  murder,  and  that 
terrible  affair  had  been  no  less.  It  had  been  known 
and  talked  of  all  over  Paris,  the  shameful  conditions 
being  that  the  combatants  should  fight  first  with 
swords,  and  the  one  who  fell,  and  fell  wounded  only, 
was  to  have  his  brains  blown  out  by  the  other. 

One  of  the  company  brought  from  the  house  a 
lantern  and  a  pair  of  English  pistols,  and  both  agree- 
ing to  fight  with  them,  and  the  ground  being  hastily 
measured,  the  two  gentlemen  threw  off  their  coats 
and  took  up  their  positions.  The  light  was  so 
uncertain  from  the  occasional  fitful  brightness  of  the 
moon  shining  through  the  clouds  and  the  light  from 
the  swaying  lantern,  held  aloft  by  Bertrand,  who  took 

293 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

his  stand  near  Calvert  and  watched  him  with  his  old 
devotion,  that  'twas  almost  impossible  for  either  com-, 
batant  to  take  accurate  aim. 

At  the  word  "  Fire !  "  both  pistols  cracked,  and 
St.  Aulaire,  staggering  forward  a  few  steps,  fell, 
wounded  in  the  groin.  Calvert  was  untouched,  but 
before  he  could  collect  himself  or  move  to  the  assist- 
ance of  St.  Aulaire,  he  suddenly  heard  the  sound  of 
coach-wheels  passing  close  to  the  allee,  and,  at  the 
same  instant,  to  his  astonishment,  he  felt  a  sharp  pain 
tear  its  way  from  his  left  shoulder  to  the  wrist.  He 
turned  his  head  an  instant  to  see  who  had  attacked 
him  from  this  unexpected  quarter  and  was  just  in  time 
to  see  the  scoundrel  who  had  been  in  St.  Aulaire's 
company  throw  down  his  stained  sword  and  make  for 
the  boulevard.  And  then  as  he  reeled  forward,  the 
blood  spurting  from  the  long  gash  in  his  arm,  all 
grew  black  before  him  and  he  knew  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

IN     WHICH    AN     UNLOOKED-FOR    EVENT    TAKES    PLACE 

THAT  great  and  desolating  change  which  had  swept 
over  France  in  the  two  years  and  more  of  Calvert's 
absence  was  reflected  in  every  heart,  in  every  life  left 
in  that  wrecked  land.  On  the  most  insensible,  the  most 
frivolous,  the  most  indifferent  alike  fell  the  shadow 
of  those  terrible  times.  The  sadness  and  the  horror 
fell  on  Adrienne  de  St.  Andre  as  it  fell  on  so  many 
others,  but  besides  the  terror  of  those  days  she  had 
to  bear  a  still  heavier  sorrow.  There  is  no  pang  which 
the  heart  can  suffer  like  the  realization,  too  late,  that 
we  have  lost  what  we  most  prize ;  that  we  have  missed 
some  great  opportunity  for  happiness  which  can  never 
come  to  us  again ;  that  we  have  rejected  and  passed  by 
what  we  would  now  sell  our  souls  to  possess.  This 
conviction,  slowly  borne  in  upon  Adrienne,  caused  her 
more  anguish  than  she  had  supposed,  in  her  igno- 
rance, anything  in  the  world  could  make  her  feel. 
The  man  whose  name  she  bore  was  scarcely  a  memory 
to  her.  For  the  first  time  she  knew  what  love  was 
and  realized  that  she  had  cared  for  Calvert  with  all 
the  repressed  tenderness  and  unsounded  depths  of 
her  heart.  Her  very  helplessness,  the  impossibility 
to  recall  him,  made  him  more  dear  to  her  by  far.  A 
man  can  stretch  out  his  hand  and  seize  his  happiness, 

295 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

but  a  woman  must  wait  for  hers.  And  if  it  passes 
her  by  she  must  bear  her  hurt  in  silence  and  as  best 
she  can.  It  was  with  a  sort  of  blind  despair  that 
Adrienne  thought  of  Calvert  and  all  that  she  had  wil- 
fully thrown  away.  Had  he  been  at  her  beck  and  call, 
fetched  and  carried  for  her,  she  would  never  have 
loved  him.  But  the  consciousness  that  he  was  as 
proud  as  she,  that,  though  he  was  near  her  for  so 
long,  she  could  not  lure  him  back,  that  he  could  master 
his  love  and  defy  her  beauty  and  charm,  exercised  a 
fascination  over  her.  And  when  he  left  her  entirely 
and  was  gone  away  without  even  seeing  her,  she  sud- 
denly realized  how  deeply  she  loved  him.  We  have 
all  had  such  experiences — we  live  along,  thinking  of 
things  after  a  certain  fashion,  and  suddenly  there 
comes  a  day  when  everything  seems  changed.  It  was 
so  with  Adrienne.  All  things  seemed  changed  to  her, 
and  in  that  bitter  necromancy  her  pride  was  humbled. 
Wherever  she  went  there  was  but  one  dear  face  she 
longed  to  see — one  dear  face  with  the  quiet  eyes  she 
loved.  There  were  days  when  she  so  longed  to  see 
him,  when  the  sound  of  his  voice  or  the  touch  of  his 
hand  would  have  been  so  inexpressibly  dear  to  her, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  the  very  force  of  her  passion  must 
surely  draw  him  back  to  her.  But  he  never  came. 
During  those  two  long  years  something  went  from 
her  forever.  She  was  not  conscious  of  it  at  the  time 
— only  of  the  dull  ache,  and  feverish  longing,  and 
utter  apathy  that  seized  her  by  turns.  There  was  a 
subtle  difference  in  all  things.  Twas  as  if  some  fine 
spring  in  the  delicate  mechanism  of  her  being  had 

296 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR  EVENT 

broken.  It  might  run  on  for  years,  but  never  again 
with  the  perfectness  and  buoyancy  with  which  it  had 
once  moved. 

As  her  life  altered  so  terribly,  as  all  that  she  had 
known  and  valued  perished  miserably  before  her  eyes 
day  by  day,  the  thought  of  Calvert  and  of  his  calm 
steadiness  and  sincerity  became  constant  with  her. 
She  heard  of  him  from  time  to  time  from  Mr.  Morris 
after  his  frequent  visits  to  London  and  through  let- 
ters to  her  brother  and  Lafayette,  to  whom  Calvert 
wrote  periodically,  but  she  had  no  hope  of  ever  seeing 
him  again,  and  she  suffered  in  the  knowledge. 
Though  he  seemed  cruel  to  her  in  his  hardness,  she 
was  just  enough  to  confess  to  herself  that  she  so  de- 
served to  suffer.  But  she  had  learned  so  much 
through  suffering  that  a  sick  distaste  for  life's  lessons 
grew  upon  her,  and  she  felt  that  she  wanted  no  more 
of  them  unless  knowledge  should  come  to  her  through 
love.  In  her  changed  life  there  was  little  to  relieve 
her  suffering,  but  she  devoted  herself  to  the  old 
'Duchess,  who  failed  visibly  day  by  day,  and  in  that 
service  she  could  sometimes  forget  her  own  unhappi- 
ness.  She  went  with  the  intrepid  old  lady  (who  con- 
tinued to  ignore  the  revolution  as  much  as  possible) 
wherever  they  could  find  distraction — to  the  play  and 
to  the  houses  of  their  friends  still  left  in  Paris,  where 
a  little  dinner  or  a  game  of  quinze  or  whist  could  still 
be  enjoyed. 

'Twas  on  one  of  these  occasions  that,  accompanied 
by  Beaufort,  as  they  were  returning  along  the  Champs 
Elysees  from  Madame  de  Montmorin's,  where  they 

297 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

had  spent  the  evening,  they  suddenly  heard  the  re- 
port of  pistols  proceeding  from  an  allee  by  the  road- 
side. 

"  A  duel !  "  said  Beaufort.  "  Twas  near  here  that 
poor  Castries  was  killed.  Perhaps  it  is  another  friend 
in  trouble,  and  I  had  best  see,"  and,  calling  to  the 
coachman  to  stop  the  horses,  he  jumped  out.  Almost 
at  the  same  instant  a  man  stumbled  out  of  the  allee 
and  ran  down  the  boulevard.  Beaufort  would  have 
followed  him,  but,  as  he  started  to  do  so,  he  heard  his 
name  called  and,  looking  back,  saw  another  man 
emerge  from  the  allee  and  gaze  down  the  almost  de- 
serted street.  By  the  dim  light  of  the  lantern  swung 
from  its  great  iron  post  the  man  recognized  Monsieur 
de  Beaufort  and  ran  forward. 

"  Will  you  come  ?  "  he  said,  hurriedly.  "  Monsieur 
Calvert  is  here — wounded  by  that  villain." 

"  Calvert — impossible !     He  is  not  in  Paris." 

"  But  he  is ! — here,"  said  Bertrand,  drawing  Beau- 
fort toward  the  allee. 

Adrienne's  pale  face  appeared  at  the  coach-door. 

"  Did  I  hear  someone  speak  of  Monsieur  Calvert?  " 

Beaufort  went  up  to  her.  "  He  is  here — wounded, 
I  think,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  will  go  and  see 
— you  will  not  be  afraid  to  wait  ?  " 

"  To  wait ! — I  am  going,  too,"  and  before  he  could 
prevent  it  she  had  stepped  from  the  coach  and  was 
making  her  way  toward  the  allee.  A  ghastly  sight 
met  their  eyes  as  they  entered  the  lane.  St.  Aulaire 
lay  upon  the  ground,  one  of  his  companions  standing 
over  him,  and  at  a  little  distance,  Calvert,  white  and 

298 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

unconscious,  the  blood  trickling  from  his  left  shoul- 
der. With  a  low  cry  Adrienne  knelt  on  the  ground 
beside  him  and  felt  his  pulse  to  see  if  he  still  lived. 
In  an  instant  she  was  up. 

"  Bring  him  to  the  carriage.  We  must  take  him 
to  the  Legation — to  Mr.  Morris,"  she  says,  in  a  low 
tone,  to  Beaufort  and  Bertrand,  whom  she  had  rec- 
ognized as  the  servant  Calvert  had  brought  with 
him  to  Azay-le-Roi.  Without  a  look  at  St.  Au- 
laire  she  helped  the  two  to  get  Calvert  to  the  coach, 
where  he  was  placed  on  the  cushions  as  easily  as  possi- 
ble and  held  between  herself  and  Madame  d'Azay. 
She  hung  over  him  during  the  long  drive  in  a  sort  of 
passion  of  pity  and  love.  It  was  the  dearest  happi- 
ness she  had  ever  known  to  touch  him,  to  feel  his  head 
upon  her  arm.  Even  though  he  were  dead,  she 
thought,  it  were  worth  all  her  life  to  have  held  him 
so.  She  scarcely  spoke  save  to  ask  Bertrand  if  he 
knew  the  cause  of  the  encounter,  and,  when  he  had  told 
her  all  he  knew  of  the  events  of  the  evening,  she 
relapsed  again  into  silence.  They  reached  the  Lega- 
tion as  Mr.  Morris's  guests  were  leaving,  and  in  a  very 
few  minutes  the  young  man  was  put  to  bed  and  a 
surgeon  called. 

Though  the  wound  was  not  fatal — not  even  very 
serious — a  sharp  fever  fastened  upon  Calvert,  and, 
in  the  delirium  of  the  few  days  following,  Mr.  Morris 
was  easily  able  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  duel.  The 
story  he  thus  gathered  from  Calvert's  wild  talk  he  told 
Adrienne  and  Madame  d'Azay — the  two  ladies  came 
daily  to  inquire  how  the  patient  was  doing — for  he 

299 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

thought  that  they  should  know  of  the  noble  action  of 
the  young  man,  and  he  felt  sure  that  as  soon  as  Cal- 
vert  was  himself  again  he  would  request  him  to  keep 
silence  about  his  share  in  the  matter.  He  was  right, 
for  when  Calvert  was  come  to  his  senses  again  and 
was  beginning  to  be  convalescent — which  was  at  the 
end  of  a  week — he  told  Mr.  Morris  the  particulars  of 
his  encounter  with  St.  Aulaire,  requesting  that  he 
make  no  mention  of  his  part  in  the  affair  and  beg- 
ging him  to  urge  d'Azay  to  leave  Paris.  This  was 
the  more  necessary  as  St.  Aulaire,  though  badly 
wounded,  was  fully  conscious  and  might  at  any  mo- 
ment cause  d'Azay's  arrest,  and,  moreover,  passports 
were  becoming  daily  harder  to  obtain. 

Mr.  Morris  had  to  confess  his  inability  to  comply 
with  Calvert's  first  request,  but  promised  to  see  d'Azay 
immediately,  and,  ordering  his  carriage,  in  half  an 
hour  was  on  his  way  to  the  rue  St.  Honore.  No  man 
in  Paris  knew  better  than  he  the  risk  an  aristocrat  ran 
who  was  denounced  to  the  Assembly  and  remained 
in  Paris,  nor  how  difficult  it  was  to  get  out  of  the  city. 
He  was  also  aware  of  rumors  concerning  d'Azay  of 
which  he  thought  best  not  to  tell  Calvert  in  his  pres- 
ent condition,  but  which  made  him  seriously  fear  for 
d'Azay's  safety. 

On  his  arrival  in  the  rue  St.  Honore  he  found 
Adrienne  with  the  old  Duchess  in  one  of  the  smaller 
salons,  but  d'Azay  was  not  with  them,  nor  did  they 
know  where  he  was.  Mr.  Morris  had  not  intended 
telling  the  two  ladies  of  his  mission,  fearing  to  increase 
the  anxiety  which  he  knew  they  already  felt  on  d'Azay's 

3°° 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

account,  but  he  suddenly  changed  his  determination 
and,  in  a  few  words,  informed  them  of  Calvert's  urgent 
message  to  d'Azay  and  of  the  reasons  for  his  instant 
departure  from  Paris. 

"  He  is  not  safe  for  a  day,"  he  said.  "  Calvert  has 
saved  him  for  the  time  being,  but  St.  Aulaire,  though 
unable  himself  to  go  to  the  Assembly  and  prefer 
charges  against  him,  can  find  a  dozen  tools  among 
the  Orleans  party  who  will  do  his  dirty  work  for  him. 
The  mere  assertion  that  d'Azay  is  in  correspondence 
with  Monsieur  de  Conde  or  any  of  the  counter-revo- 
lutionists will  send  him  to  prison — or  worse.  As  you 
know,  he,  like  Lafayette,  is  out  of  favor  with  all 
factions.  There  is  but  one  thing  to  do — get  him  out 
of  Paris." 

"  He  will  never  go !  "  said  the  old  Duchess,  proudly. 

"  He  must !  Listen,"  said  Adrienne,  rising  and 
laying  her  hand  on  Mr.  Morris's  arm.  "  I  think  he 
will  never  ask  for  a  passport  himself,  but  if  we  could 
get  it  for  him,  if,  when  he  comes  in,  he  should  find  all 
in  readiness  for  his  going,  if  we  could  convince  him 
by  these  means  that  his  immediate  departure  was  so 
necessary —  She  stood  looking  at  Mr.  Morris,  forc- 
ing herself  to  be  calm,  and  with  such  an  expression 
of  courage  and  determination  on  her  pale  face  that 
Mr.  Morris,  who  had  always  admired  her,  was  touched 
and  astonished. 

"  Tis  the  very  best  thing  to  be  done,  my  dear  young 
lady,"  he  said.  "  We  must  get  the  passport  for  d'Azay 
and  force  him  to  quit  Paris.  I  think  I  am  not  entire- 
ly without  influence  with  some  of  these  scoundrels  in 

301 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

authority  just  now.  Danton,  for  instance.  He  is, 
without  doubt,  the  most  powerful  man  in  Paris  for 
the  moment.  Suppose  we  apply  to  him  and  his  worthy 
assistant,  Bertrand,  and  see  what  can  be  done.  As 
Danton  himself  said  to  me  the  other  evening  at  the 
Cordelliers  Club,  '  in  times  of  revolution  authority  falls 
into  the  hands  of  rascals ! '  Bertrand  was  a  good 
valet,  but  he  knows  no  more  of  statescraft  than  my 
coachman  does.  However,  what  we  want  is  not  a 
statesman  but  a  friend,  and  I  think  Bertrand  may 
prove  to  be  that.  My  carriage  is  waiting  below ;  shall 
we  go  at  once  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  cannot  go  too  soon !  I  will  not  lose  a 
moment."  She  ran  out  of  the  room  and  returned 
almost  instantly  with  her  wraps,  for  the  March  day 
was  chill  and  gloomy.  The  two  set  out  immediately, 
Mr.  Morris  giving  orders  to  his  coachman  to  drive  to 
the  Palais  de  Justice,  where  he  hoped  to  find  Danton, 
the  deputy  attorney-general  of  the  commune  of  Paris, 
and  Bertrand,  his  assistant.  As  he  expected,  they 
were  there  and,  on  being  announced,  he  and  Ma- 
dame de  St.  Andre  were  almost  instantly  admitted  to 
their  presence. 

There  could  be  no  better  proof  of  the  unique  and 
powerful  position  held  by  the  representative  of  the 
infant  United  States  than  the  reception  accorded  him 
by  this  dictator  of  Paris.  Though  Mr.  Morris  was 
known  to  disapprove  openly  of  the  excesses  to  which 
the  Assembly  and  the  revolution  had  already  gone, 
yet  this  agitator,  this  leader  of  the  most  violent  district 
of  Paris,  welcomed  him  with  marked  deference  and 

302 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR  EVENT 

consideration.  And  it  was  with  the  deepest  regret  that 
he  professed  himself  unable  to  undertake  to  obtain, 
at  Mr.  Morris's  request,  a  passport  for  Monsieur 
d'Azay,  brother  of  Madame  de  St.  Andre,  to  whom 
he  showed  a  coldness  and  brusqueness  in  marked 
contrast  to  his  manner  toward  Mr.  Morris. 

"  The  applications  are  so  numerous,  and  the  emi- 
grant army  is  becoming  so  large,"  and  here  he  darted 
a  keen,  mocking  look  at  Madame  de  St.  Andre  out 
of  his  small,  ardent  eyes,  "  that  even  were  I  as  influ- 
ential as  Monsieur  Morris  is  pleased  to  think  me,  I 
would  scarcely  dare  to  ask  for  a  passport  for  Mon- 
sieur d'Azay.  Moreover,"  and  he  bent  his  great, 
hideous  head  for  an  instant  over  a  pile  of  papers  upon 
the  desk  before  him,  "  moreover,  Monsieur  d'Azay  is 
particularly  wanted  in  Paris  just  now." 

"  It  is  not  his  wish  to  leave — indeed,  he  knows  noth- 
ing of  this  application  for  a  passport.  It  is  by  my  wish 
and  on  my  affairs  that  he  goes  to  England,"  says 
Adrienne,  steadily,  facing  with  courage  the  malignant 
look  of  that  terrible  countenance.  Monsieur  Dan- 
ton  ignored  these  remarks  and  turned  to  Mr.  Morris. 

"  Receive  my  regrets,  Monsieur,  that  I  can  do  noth- 
ing in  this  matter.  It  would  give  me  pleasure  to 
render  any  favor  to  an  American." 

"  Then  we  must  ask  assistance  in  other  quarters," 
says  Mr.  Morris,  rising  abruptly,  and  with  a  show 
of  confidence  which  he  was  far  from  feeling.  He  had 
applied  in  the  most  powerful  and  available  quarter  that 
he  knew  of,  and  he  confessed  to  himself  that,  having 
failed  here,  he  had  no  hope  of  succeeding  elsewhere. 

303 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

As  he  and  Adrienne  turned  to  go,  Bertrand,  who  had 
sat  quietly  by  during  this  short  colloquy,  arose  and 
accompanied  them  toward  the  door. 

"  It  is  a  pity  Madame  de  St.  Andre  is  not  an  Ameri- 
can— is  not  Madame  Calvert,"  he  says,  in  a  low  tone, 
and  fixing  a  meaning  look  on  Adrienne.  "  Pass- 
ports for  the  brother-in-law  of  Monsieur  Calvert,  the 
American,  were  easy  to  obtain.  It  is  doubly  a  pity," 
and  he  spoke  in  a  still  lower  tone,  "  since  I  have,  on 
good  authority,  the  news  that  Monsieur  d'Azay  is 
to  be  accused  of  forwarding  military  intelligence  to 
Monsieur  de  Conde  in  to-morrow's  session  of  the 
Assembly." 

The  young  girl  stopped  and  stood  looking  at  him, 
transfixed  with  terror  and  astonishment. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  says,  in  a  frightened, 
hushed  voice. 

"  This,  Madame.  A  long  time  ago,  when  I  was 
a  soldier  in  America  under  Lafayette,  Monsieur  Cal- 
vert did  me  a  great  service — he  saved  my  life — he 
was  kind  to  me.  He  is  the  only  man,  the  only  person 
in  the  world  I  love,  and  I  have  sworn  to  repay  that 
debt  of  gratitude.  I  was  with  Monsieur,  as  his  ser- 
vant, at  Azay-le-Roi,  and  I  guessed,  Madame,  what 
passed  there  between  you  and  him.  Afterward  I  was 
with  him  in  Paris,  and  I  saw  how  he  suffered,  and  I 
swore,  if  the  thing  were  ever  possible,  I  would  make 
you  suffer  as  he  suffered.  There  is  but  one  thing  I 
would  rather  do  than  make  you  suffer — and  that  is  to 
make  him  happy.  The  passport  for  the  brother  of 
Madame  Calvert  will  be  ready  at  six  this  evening 

304 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

and  Monsieur  will  be  free  to  leave  Paris.     Do  you 
understand  now,  Madame  ?  " 

"  It  is  impossible,"  she  says,  faintly,  leaning  for 
support  on  Mr.  Morris,  who  stood  by,  unspeakably 
astonished  at  the  strange  scene  taking  place. 

"  Impossible  ?  Then  I  am  sorry,"  he  says.  "  Frank- 
ly, there  is  but  one  way,  Madame,  for  you  to  obtain 
the  passport  you  wish,  and  that  is  by  becoming  an 
American  subject,  the  wife  of  Monsieur  Calvert.  I 
can  interest  myself  in  the  matter  only  on  those  con- 
ditions. I  have  but  to  mention  to  Danton  my  good 
reasons  for  serving  so  close  a  relation  of  Monsieur 
Calvert,  and  he  will  be  inclined  to  interest  himself 
in  obtaining  the  freedom  of  Monsieur  d'Azay — for 
such  it  really  is.  Should  he  still  be  disinclined  to  serve 
a  friend  who  has  stood  him  well " — and  his  face 
darkened  ominously  and  a  sinister  smile  came  to  his 
lips — "  I  have  but  to  recall  to  his  mind  a  certain  scene 
which  took  place  in  the  Cafe  de  1'Ecole  some  years 
ago  in  which  Monsieur  Calvert  was  an  actor,  and 
I  can  answer  for  it  that  Monsieur  d'Azay  leaves  Paris 
to-night.  Shall  I  do  these  things  or  not?  If  not, 
I  think  'tis  sure  that,  let  Madame  and  Monsieur 
Morris  apply  to  whom  they  may,  Danton  and  I  will 
see  to  it  that  no  passport  for  Monsieur  d'Azay  is 
granted.  Is  it  still  impossible?"  he  asks,  with  an 
insolent  smile. 

The  girl  turned  piteously  from  Bertrand  to  Mr. 
Morris  and  back  again,  as  if  seeking  some  escape 
from  the  trap  in  which  she  was  caught.  Her  pale 
lips  trembled. 

305 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  Is  it  impossible  ?  "  again  asks  Bertrand,  noting 
her  pallor  and  cruel  indecision. 

"  No,  no,"  she  cries,  suddenly,  shuddering  and  put- 
ting out  her  hand. 

"  Then  all  will  be  in  readiness  at  six,  Monsieur," 
says  Bertrand,  addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Morris. 

"  A  word  aside  with  you,"  he  says  to  Bertrand,  and, 
leading  Adrienne  to  a  seat,  he  went  back  to  Bertrand, 
who  waited  for  him  beside  the  door. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  extraordinary  scene  ?  " 
he  asked,  sternly. 

The  man  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Just  what  I 
have  said.  You  know  yourself,  Monsieur,  whether  or 
not  I  am  devoted  to  Monsieur  Calvert.  For  Madame 
de  St.  Andre  I  care  less  than  nothing,"  he  said, 
snapping  his  fingers  carelessly.  "  But  Monsieur  Cal- 
vert loves  her — it  seems  a  pretty  enough  way  of  mak- 
ing them  happy,  though  'tis  a  strange  metier  for  me 
— arranging  love-matches  among  the  nobility !  How- 
ever, stranger  things  than  that  are  happening  in  France. 
Besides,  it  is  necessary,"  he  said,  his  light  manner 
suddenly  changing  to  one  more  serious.  "  I  swear 
it  is  the  only  way  of  getting  d'Azay  out  of  Paris.  I 
doubt  if  even  Danton,  urged  on  by  me,  could  obtain 
a  passport  for  him  to  quit  the  city.  But  I  can  answer 
for  one  for  the  brother  of  Madame  Calvert,  wife  of 
the  former  secretary  of  Monsieur  Jefferson,  friend  of 
the  present  Minister  Plenipotentiary  from  the  United 
States  of  America  to  France." 

Mr.  Morris  looked  at  the  man  keenly. 

306 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

"  And  suppose  this  thing  were  done — I  can  rely  upon 
you?" 

"  Absolutely.  Attend  a  moment,"  he  said,  and, 
going  back  to  where  Danton  still  sat  at  his  desk,  he 
spoke  with  him  in  low  and  earnest  tones.  From 
where  Mr.  Morris  stood  he  could  see  Danton's  expres- 
sion change  from  sternness  and  anger  to  astonishment 
and  interest.  In  a  few  moments,  with  a  low  exclama- 
tion, he  got  up  and,  followed  by  Bertrand,  came  toward 
Mr.  Morris. 

"  Bertrand  has  just  told  me  facts  which  alter  this 
case — which  impel  me  to  aid  Monsieur  d'Azay  if  pos- 
sible," he  said ;  and  then,  turning  to  Adrienne,  who, 
pale  with  anxiety  and  terror,  had  risen  from  her  seat 
and  drawn  near,  he  went  on :  "  I  will  use  all  my  power 
to  be  of  service  to  the  wife  of  the  man  who  once 
showed  a  courtesy  to  mine."  At  his  words  the  girl 
drew  back  and  blushed  deeply  over  her  whole  fair 
face.  "  I  swore  that  I  would  reward  him  if  possible, 
and  I  do  so  to-day.  I  also  swore  to  reward  his  com- 
panion, Monsieur  de  Beaufort — the  time  is  not  yet 
come  for  that,  but  it  will,"  and  he  smiled  in  so  terrible 
a  fashion  that  Adrienne  could  have  cried  out  in  fear. 
The  fierce  malignity  of  his  look  so  filled  Mr.  Morris 
with  disgust  that  he  could  scarce  bear  to  speak  to 
him. 

"  We  will  return  at  six,"  he  said,  at  length,  and 
leading  Adrienne  to  the  door  that  the  painful  interview 
might  end. 

"  At  six,"  said  Danton. 


307 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

They  made  their  way  out  and  found  Mr.  Morris's 
coach.  In  the  carriage  the  courage  which  had  sus- 
tained the  young  girl  gave  way. 

Mr.  Morris  laid  a  kindly  hand  upon  her  arm.  "  Be 
calm.  A  way  is  found  to  save  d'Azay,  and  surely  it  is 
no  great  trial  to  become  an  American  subject,"  he 
said,  smiling  a  little  and  looking  keenly  at  Adrienne. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  I  shall  dare  to  ask  this  great 
sacrifice  of  him,"  said  she,  in  a  low  tone.  "  True, 
he  risked  his  life  for  d'Azay,  but  that  is  not  so  great 
a  sacrifice  as  to  marry  a  woman  he  does  not  love." 

"  I  think  he  does  love  you  still,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
very  gently.  "  He  is  not  like  some  of  us — he  is  not 
one  to  forget  easily.  He  is  silent  and  constant.  He 
has  told  me  that  he  loved  you." 

But  she  only  shook  her  head.  "  I  have  no  hope  that 
he  loves  me  still." 

"  Shall  I  tell  him  of  this  strange  plan,  of  the  cruel 
position  you  find  yourself  in  ?  I  can  prepare  him — 

"  No,"  she  said,  in  a  low  tone,  "  I — I  will  see  him 
myself  and  at  once." 

She  sat  quiet  and  thoughtful  for  the  rest  of  the  drive 
until  the  coach  drew  up  before  the  Legation.  After 
the  first  fear  and  despair  had  passed,  a  wave  of  hap- 
piness swept  over  her  that  made  her  blush  and  then 
pale  as  it  ebbed.  Perhaps,  after  all,  his  love  for  her 
might  not  be  dead ;  at  all  events  a  curious  fate  had 
brought  it  about  that  she  should  see  him  again  and 
hear  him  speak  and  learn  for  herself  if  he  loved  her. 
She  remembered,  with  a  sudden  shock,  the  words 
she  had  spoken  at  Azay-le-Roi — that  should  she 

308 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

change  her  mind  it  would  be  she  who  would  ask  him 
to  marry  her.  She  could  have  laughed  aloud  with 
joy  to  think  that  fate  had  played  her  such  a  trick. 
She  remembered  with  a  sort  of  shamed  wonder  the 
proud  condescension  with  which  she  had  treated  him. 
She  felt  now  as  if  she  could  fling  herself  before  him 
on  her  knees  and  beg  him  to  give  her  back  his  love. 
But  did  he  still  love  her  ?  At  the  thought  an  icy  pang 
of  apprehension  and  fear  seized  her,  and  her  heart 
almost  stopped  beating.  It  was  not  alone  her  own 
happiness  that  was  at  stake,  but  a  life  that  she  held 
dear,  too,  was  in  the  hands  of  one  whom  she  had  mis- 
prized, to  whom  she  had  shown  no  pity  or  tenderness. 

"  I  will  go  up  with  you  to  the  library,  where  I  think 
we  shall  find  Calvert,  and  then  I  will  leave  you,"  said 
Mr.  Morris  as  the  coach  stopped. 

They  went  up  the  broad  stairway  together  and  Mr. 
Morris  knocked  at  the  library  door.  A  voice  answered 
"  Come,"  and  he  entered,  leaving  Adrienne  in  the 
shadow  of  the  archway.  A  bright  fire  was  burning  on 
the  open  hearth  and  before  it  sat  Calvert.  He  looked 
ill,  and  his  left  arm  and  shoulder  were  bandaged  and 
held  in  a  sling.  He  wore  no  coat — indeed,  he  could 
get  none  over  the  bandages — and  the  whiteness  of 
his  linen  and  the  bright  flame  of  the  fire  made  him 
look  very  pale.  At  Mr.  Morris's  entrance  he  glanced 
up  smiling  and  made  an  effort  to  go  toward  him. 

"  Don't  move,  my  boy,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  hastily — 
"  I  have  brought  someone  to  see  you.  She — she  is 
here,"  and  motioning  Adrienne  to  enter,  he  went  out, 
softly  closing  the  door  behind  him. 

309 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

For  an  instant  Calvert  could  not  see  who  his  visitor 
was,  for,  though  the  firelight  was  bright,  the  room  was 
much  in  shadow  from  the  grayness  of  the  afternoon  and 
the  heavy  hangings  at  the  long  windows.  As  the  young 
girl  came  forward,  however,  he  recognized  her  in  spite 
of  her  extreme  pallor  and  the  change  which  two  years 
and  a  half  had  wrought.  Concealing,  as  best  he  could, 
the  shock  of  surprise  and  the  sudden  faintness  which 
attacked  him  at  her  unexpected  presence  (for  he  was 
still  very  weak  and  ill),  he  bowed  low  and  placed  a 
chair  for  her.  But  she  shook  her  head  and  remained 
standing  beside  a  little  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room, 
one  hand  resting  upon  it  for  support.  She  was  so 
agitated,  and  so  fearful  lest  Calvert  should  notice  it 
and  guess  its  true  cause,  that  she  summoned  all  her 
pride  and  old  imperiousness  to  her  aid.  Looking  at 
her  so,  he  wondered  how  it  was  that  Mr.  Morris  had 
found  her  so  softened.  Looking  at  him  so,  weak  and 
ill  and  hurt  for  one  she  loved,  she  could  have  thrown 
herself  at  his  feet  and  kissed  his  wounded  arm.  It 
was  with  difficulty  she  commanded  her  voice  suffi- 
ciently to  speak. 

"  I  am  come,  Mr.  Calvert,"  she  said,  at  length,  hur- 
riedly, and  in  so  constrained  a  tone  that  he  could 
scarcely  hear  her,  "  I  am  come  on  an  errand  for  which 
the  sole  excuse  is  your  own  nobility.  Had  you  not 
already  risked  your  life  for  my  brother,  I  could  not 
dare  to  ask  this  still  greater  sacrifice.  Indeed,  I  think 
I  cannot,  as  it  is,"  she  said,  clasping  her  hands  and 
suddenly  turning  away. 

Calvert  was  inexpressibly  surprised  by  this  exhibi- 
310 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

tion  of  deep  emotion  in  her.  He  had  never  seen  her 
so  moved  before.  "  There  is  nothing  I  would  not  do 
for  d'Azay,  believe  me,"  he  said,  earnestly.  "  I  had 
hoped  to  avert  this  danger  from  him,  but,  unfortu- 
nately, I  fear  I  have  only  postponed  it.  Is  there  any- 
thing I  can  do?  If  so,  tell  me  what  it  is." 

"  It  is  nothing  less  than  the  sacrifice  of  your  whole 
life,"  she  said,  in  a  low  tone,  and  drawing  back  in  the 
shadow  of  one  of  the  windows.  "  It  is  this — I  am 
come  to  ask  you  to  marry  me,  Mr.  Calvert,  that  by 
becoming  an  American  subject  I  may  save  my  brother. 
We — we  have  just  been  to  obtain  a  passport  for  him 
to  leave  the  city — he  is  to  be  accused  in  the  Assembly 
to-morrow,"  she  says,  rapidly  and  breathlessly.  "  A 
passport  for  Monsieur  d'Azay  is  refused  uncondition- 
ally, but  one  is  promised  for  the  brother  of  Madame 
Calvert,  the  American."  She  was  no  longer  pale.  A 
burning  blush  was  dyeing  her  whole  face  crimson,  and 
she  drew  still  farther  back  into  the  shadow  of  the 
window.  She  laid  one  hand  on  the  velvet  curtain  to 
steady  herself. 

Calvert  gazed  at  her  in  unspeakable  surprise.  For 
an  instant  a  wild  hope  awoke  within  him,  only  to  die. 
She  had  come  but  to  save  her  brother,  as  she  had  said, 
and  the  painfulness  of  her  duty  was  only  too  apparent. 

"  And — and  who  has  imposed  this  strange  condi- 
tion ?  "  he  says,  at  length,  quietly,  mastering  himself. 

"Your  servant  Bertrand,  who  is  all-powerful  with 
Danton  and  who,  he  promises,  shall  obtain  the  pass- 
port by  six  this  evening." 

"  Were    I    not    wounded    and    weak    from    fever, 

3" 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

Madame,  believe  me,  by  that  hour  he  would  deeply 
repent  having  caused  you  this  humiliation,"  says  Cal- 
vert,  bitterly. 

"  My  humiliation  is  a  slight  thing  in  comparison 
with  the  sacrifice  I  ask  of  you,  Monsieur." 

"  And  what  of  yours  ?  "  he  asks,  gloomily,  but  he 
did  not  look  at  her.  Had  he  done  so  he  would  have 
seen  love,  not  self-sacrifice,  shining  in  her  appealing 
eyes. 

"  But  I  have  influence  over  this  fellow — he  is  de- 
voted to  me — he  shall  do  this  thing  without  demanding 
so  great,  so  fabulous  a  price  for  his  services,"  he  goes 
on,  half-speaking  to  himself. 

'  'Tis  indeed  a  fabulous  price,"  she  says,  paling  a 
little  at  Calvert's  words  and  drawing  herself  up 
proudly.  "  But  he  fancies  he  is  serving  you  by  im- 
posing this  condition,  and  I  confess  that  I — I  dared 
not  tell  him  that  you  no  longer  loved  me,  lest  I  should 
lose  the  one  hold  I  had  on  him.  For  d'Azay,  for  me, 
he  will  do  absolutely  nothing."  From  the  shadow 
of  the  curtain  she  watched  Calvert's  face  for  some  sign 
that  she  was  mistaken,  that  after  all  he  did  still  love 
her,  that  what  she  had  asked  of  him  would  be  no  life- 
long sacrifice,  but  the  dearest  joy.  But  none  came. 
He  stood  quiet  and  thoughtful,  looking  down  into  the 
firelight  and  betraying  nothing  of  the  conflict  going 
on  within  him.  His  one  thought  was  to  find  a  way 
out  of  this  horrible  trap  for  her,  or,  failing  that,  to 
make  it  as  easy  as  possible  for  her.  He  stilled  the 
wild  exultation  he  felt  that  was  making  his  feverish 
pulse  leap  and  sink  by  turns.  He  tried  to  put  away 

312 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

temptation  from  him — to  think  only  for  her.  This 
incredible,  unlooked-for  happiness  was  not  for  him. 
He  searched  about  in  his  mind  for  words  that  would 
make  her  understand  that  he  knew  what  anguish  had 
driven  her  to  this  extremity ;  that  would  convince  her 
that  she  had  nothing  to  fear  from  him  and  that  he 
would  meet  her  as  he  felt  sure  she  wished  him  to 
meet  her. 

"  What  he  asks  is  madness,"  he  said,  at  length. 
"  I  know  only  too  well  the  insurmountable  objections 
you  have  to  doing  what  he  demands ;  if  I  can  convince 
him  of  these — if  I  can  convince  him  that  it  is  also 
not  my  wish — that  he  can  best  serve  me  by  not  insist- 
ing on  this  thing " 

"  Then,  indeed,  I  think  all  is  lost,"  said  Adrienne, 
quietly.  "  He  professes  that  he  can  do  nothing  for  the 
French  emigrant  d'Azay,  only  for  the  brother  of  the 
American,  Calvert.  There  is  no  hope  left  for  us 
except  through  himself  and  Danton,  since  it  is  already 
known  that  d'Azay  is  to  be  accused  to-morrow,  and, 
indeed,  there  is  scarce  time  to  seek  other  aid,"  she 
added,  despairingly. 

"  Is  Mr.  Morris  of  the  opinion  that  this  is  the  best 
thing  to  be  done  ?  "  asked  Calvert,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  He  thinks  it  is  the  onlv  way  to  save  d'Azay." 
Suddenly  she  came  forward  fr6m  the  embrasure  of  the 
window  and  stood  once  more  beside  the  table,  her  face 
lighted  up  by  the  glow  of  the  fire.  "  Believe  me, 
I  know  how  great  a  thing  I  ask,"  she  says,  quite 
wildly,  and  covering  her  eyes  with  her  hand.  "  I  ask 
you  now  what  you  once  asked  me  and  what  I  flung 

313 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

away."  Calvert  looked  up  startled,  but  not  being  able 
to  read  her  face,  which  was  concealed,  he  dropped  his 
head  again,  and  she  went  on :  "  If  it  is  possible  for 
you  to  make  this  sacrifice,  everything  I  can  do  to  make 
it  bearable  shall  be  done — we  need  never  see  each  other 
again — I  can  follow  d'Azay  to  whatever  retreat  he 
may  find " 

"  Don't  distress  yourself  so,"  said  Calvert,  gently, 
interrupting  her.  He  looked  at  the  appealing,  de- 
spairing woman  before  him,  she  who  had  been  so 
brilliant,  so  untouched  by  sorrow,  and  a  great  desire 
to  serve  her  and  a  great  compassion  for  her  came  over 
him.  There  was  pity  for  himself,  too,  in  his  thoughts, 
for  he  had  schooled  himself  for  so  long  to  believe  that 
the  woman  he  loved  did  not  love  him,  and  could  never 
love  him,  that  no  slightest  idea  that  he  was  mistaken 
came  to  him  now  to  help  lighten  his  sacrifice.  As  he 
realized  all  this  he  thought,  not  without  a  pang,  of 
the  future  and  of  the  unknown  possible  happiness  it 
might  hold  for  him  and  which  he  was  renouncing  for- 
ever. In  the  long  days  to  come,  he  had  thought,  he 
might  be  able  to  forget  that  greater  happiness  denied 
him  and  be  as  contented  as  many  another  man,  but 
even  that  consolation  he  could  now  no  longer  look 
forward  to. 

"  Do  not  distress  jfl^rself,"  he  said  again,  quietly. 
"  Be  assured  that  I  shall  make  no  effort  to  see  you — 
indeed,  I  think  I  shall 'leave  Paris  myself  as  soon  as 
this  wound  permits,"  and  he  touched  his  bandaged 
arm.  "  In  the  last  few  days  I  have  thought  seriously 
of  entering  military  service  again  under  Lafayette. 

3*4 


AN   UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

He  is  a  good  soldier,  if  a  bad  statesman,  and  has  need 
of  officers  a,nd  men  in  this  crisis,  if  ever  general  had." 

As  he  turned  away  and  touched  a  small  bell  on  the 
table,  Adrienne's  hand  dropped  at  her  side  and  she 
gave  him  so  strange,  so  sad  a  glance  that  had  he  looked 
at  her  he  would  have  seen  that  in  her  pale  face  and 
miserable  eyes  which  he  had  longed  to  see  two  years 
before.  She  took  a  step  forward — for  an  instant  the 
wild  thought  crossed  her  mind  of  flinging  herself 
down  before  him,  of  confessing  her  love  for  him,  but 
sorrow  and  trouble  had  not  yet  wholly  humbled  that 
proud  nature.  With  a  great  effort  she  drew  back. 
"  Will  you,  then,  serve  us  again  ?  "  she  said,  and  her 
voice  sounded  far  off  and  strange  in  her  own  ears. 

"  Can  you  doubt  it  ?  I  will  send  for  Mr.  Morris  and 
we  will  leave  everything  to  him." 

In  a  few  moments  he  came  in,  looking  anxiously 
from  Calvert  to  Madame  de  St.  Andre  and  back  again. 

"We  are  agreed  upon  this  matter,"  said  Calvert, 
quietly,  interpreting  Mr.  Morris's  look,  "  providing, 
in  your  opinion,  it  is  a  necessity.  Is  the  case  as  des- 
perate as  Madame  de  St.  Andre  deems  it,  and  is  this 
the  best  remedy  for  it?  " 

"  Tis  the  only  remedy,  I  think,"  replied  Mr.  Morris. 
"  I  fear  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  d'Azay's  fate  when 
arraigned,  as  he  will  be  to-morrow.  Too  many  of 
his  friends  have  already  suffered  that  same  fate  to 
leave  any  reasonable  hope  that  his  will  be  other  or 
happier."  He  drew  Calvert  to  one  side  and  spoke 
in  a  low  tone.  "  Indeed,  I  think  'tis  more  than  proba- 
ble that  he  is  guilty  of  the  charges  preferred  against 

315 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

him  and  would  go  over  to  Monsieur  de  Conde  had  he 
the  chance.  I  have  known  for  a  long  while  that  he 
has  become  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  trend  of 
affairs  here,  and  has  no  thought  now  but  to  serve  the 
King.  I  think  he  has  broken  with  Lafayette  entirely 
since  the  affair  of  St.  Cloud,  and  his  change  of  politi- 
cal faith  is  only  too  well  known  here.  If  he  does  not 
leave  Paris  to-night,  he  will  never  leave  it." 

"  Then,"  said  Mr.  Calvert,  "  I  am  ready  to  do  my 
part." 

"  No,  no,  'tis  impossible  that  this  thing  should  be," 
broke  out  Mr.  Morris,  looking  at  the  young  man's 
pale,  gloomy  face.  "  I  had  hoped  that  it  would  be  the 
greatest  happiness ;  was  I,  then,  mistaken  ?  " 

Calvert  laid  his  hand  on  the  elder  man's  shoulder. 

"  Hush,  she  must  not  hear.  'Tis  an  agreement  we 
have  entered  into,"  he  says,  hurriedly.  "  Will  you 
call  a  priest  and  send  for  the  Duchess  and  d'Azay  ?  " 

"  The  Bishop  of  Autun  has  just  come  in,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  after  a  moment's  silence,  and  pressing  the 
young  man's  hand,  "  and  there  is  no  time  to  send  for 
anyone.  I  will  go  myself  and  ask  him  to  come  up." 

They  came  in  together  in  a  very  few  moments,  His 
Grace  of  Autun  grave  and  asking  no  questions  (from 
which  Calvert  rightly  argued  that  Mr.  Morris  had  con- 
fided in  him),  but  with  a  concerned  and  kindly  air  tow- 
ard the  young  man,  for  whom  he  had  always  enter- 
tained an  especial  liking.  In  a  simple  and  impressive 
manner  he  repeated  the  marriage  service  in  the  presence 
of  Mr.  Morris  and  some  of  the  servants  of  the  house- 
hold, called  in  to  be  witnesses,  Adrienne  kneeling  be- 

316 


AN  UNLOOKED-FOR   EVENT 

side  the  couch  on  which  Calvert  lay,  for  he  was  too 
weak  and  ill  to  stand  longer. 

The  strange  scene  was  quickly  over,  the  two  parted 
almost  without  a  word,  Adrienne  being  led  away  by 
Mr.  Morris  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  and  Mr.  Calvert  re- 
manded to  bed  by  the  surgeon,  who  was  just  arrived 
to  dress  his  wound. 


CHAPTER  XX 

MR.    CALVERT    SEES    A     SHORT    CAMPAIGN    UNDER 
LAFAYETTE 

THE  project  which  Calvert  had  formed  for  joining 
the  army  he  was  able  to  put  into  execution  within  a 
couple  of  weeks.  The  fever  which  had  attacked  him 
having  entirely  subsided  and  his  wound  healing 
rapidly,  he  was  soon  well  enough  to  feel  a  consuming 
restlessness  and  craving  for  action.  The  painful 
experience  through  which  he  had  just  passed,  the  still 
more  painful  future  to  which  he  had  to  look  forward, 
aroused  an  irresistible  longing  for  some  immediate  and 
violent  change  of  scene  and  thought.  His  vague  plan 
for  joining  the  army  was  suddenly  crystallized  by  the 
situation  in  which  he  found  himself,  and  though  this 
resolution  was  strongly  opposed  by  Mr.  Morris,  who, 
with  keen  foresight,  prophesied  the  speedy  overthrow 
of  the  constitution  and  the  downfall  of  Lafayette  with 
the  King,  he  adhered  to  it.  D'Azay  being  safely  out 
of  the  country — he  had  retreated  to  Brussels  and  joined 
a  small  detachment  of  the  emigrant  army  still  there — 
and  Adrienne  protected  by  his  name,  his  one  desire 
was  to  forget  in  action  his  misfortunes  and  to  remove 
himself  from  the  scene  of  them.  It  was  this  desire, 
rather  than  any  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  which  impelled  him  to  offer  his  services 


MR.  CALVERT  SEES  A  SHORT  CAMPAIGN 

to  Lafayette.  Indeed,  it  was  with  no  very  sanguine 
belief  in  that  cause  or  hope  of  its  success  that  he  pre- 
pared to  go  to  Metz.  Although  he  believed,  with  Mr. 
Morris,  that  the  only  hope  of  France  lay  in  the  sup- 
pression of  internal  disorder  and  the  union  of  interests 
which  a  foreign  war  would  bring  about,  yet  he  could 
not  regard  with  much  horror  the  threatenings  of  the 
proscribed  emigres  and  the  military  preparations  mak- 
ing by  the  allies  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  revolution 
into  their  own  territories.  Indeed,  so  great  was  his 
contempt  for  the  ministers  of  Louis  and  for  their  mad 
and  selfish  policy  that  he  confessed  to  himself,  but  for 
his  desire  to  serve  under  his  old  commander,  he  would 
almost  as  soon  have  joined  d'Azay  at  Brussels,  or  taken 
a  commission  with  the  Austrians  under  Marshal  Ben- 
der, who  commanded  in  the  Low  Countries.  This 
division  of  sympathies  felt  by  Calvert  animated 
thousands  of  other  breasts,  so  that  whole  regiments  of 
cavalry  went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  officers  and  men 
deserted  daily.  Berwick,  Mirabeau,  Bussy,  de  la, 
Chatre,  with  their  commands,  crossed  over  the  Rhine 
and  joined  the  Prince  de  Conde  at  Worms.  The  high- 
est in  command  were  suspected  of  intriguing  with  the 
enemy;  men  distrusted  their  superiors,  and  officers 
could  place  no  reliance  on  their  men.  Of  the  wide- 
spread and  profound  character  of  this  feeling  of  dis- 
trust Mr.  Calvert  had  no  adequate  idea  until  he  joined 
the  army  of  the  centre  at  Metz  in  the  middle  of  April. 
Although  Lafayette  had,  since  January,  been  en- 
deavoring to  discipline  his  troops,  to  animate  them 
with  confidence,  courage,  and  endurance,  they  had 

319 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

defied  his  every  effort.  Indeed,  what  wonder  that  an 
army  composed  of  the  scum  of  a  revolutionary  popu- 
lace, without  knowledge  of  arms,  suspicious,  violent, 
unused  to  every  form  of  military  restraint,  should 
defy  organization  in  three  months?  Perhaps  no  sov- 
ereign ever  entered  upon  a  great  conflict  less  prepared 
than  did  Louis  when  he  declared  war  against  the  King 
of  Hungary  and  Bohemia — for  Francis  was  not  yet 
crowned  Emperor  of  Austria.  But  that  unhappy 
monarch  found  himself  in  a  situation  from  which  the 
only  issue  was  a  recourse  to  arms.  Confronted  on 
the  one  hand  by  a  republican  party  of  daily  increasing 
power  and  on  the  other  by  an  aristocratical  one 
openly  allied  with  sovereigns  who  were  suspected  of 
a  desire  to  partition  his  dominion  among  themselves 
as  Poland  had  been,  his  one  hope  lay  in  warring  his 
way  out  between  the  two. 

That  Louis  should  be  the  advocate  and  leader  of  this 
war  was  the  one  inspiration  of  Narbonne,  and,  had 
the  King  persevered  in  this,  he  might  have  saved  him- 
self and  his  throne.  But,  with  his  fatal  vacillation, 
after  having  entered  upon  military  preparations  and 
committed  himself  to  Narbonne's  policy,  he  sud- 
denly abandoned  him  as  he  had  abandoned  so  many 
of  his  advisers.  Grave  replaced  the  dismissed  and 
chagrined  young  minister,  and  Dumouriez,  the  Min- 
ister of  Foreign  Affairs,  took  into  his  hands  all  the 
power  and  glory  of  the  war  movement.  He  developed 
and  supplemented  the  plans  which  Narbonne  had 
already  formed,  and,  by  the  New  Year,  a  vast  army 
was  assembled  and  the  frontier  divided  into  three  great 

320 


MR.  CALVERT  SEES  A  SHORT  CAMPAIGN 

military  districts.  On  the  left,  the  territory  from 
Dunkirk  to  Philippville  was  defended  by  the  army 
under  Rochambeau,  forty  thousand  foot  and  eight 
thousand  cavalry  strong;  Lafayette,  with  his  army 
of  the  centre,  of  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  men 
and  some  seven  thousand  horse,  commanded  between 
Philippville  and  Weissenberg,  while  Luckner,  with  his 
army  of  the  Rhine,  stretched  from  Weissenberg  to 
Bale.  Dumouriez's  diplomatic  negotiations  were  ap- 
parently nearly  as  successful  as  his  military  operations. 
Though  he  could  not  dissolve  that  "  unnatural  alli- 
ance "  formed  the  year  before  at  Pilnitz  and  enthu- 
siastically adhered  to  by  Prince  Henri  and  the  Duke 
of  Brunswick  with  the  young  King  of  Hungary  and 
Bohemia,  yet,  by  the  assassination  of  the  King  of 
Sweden,  that  country  was  no  longer  to  be  feared, 
England  remained  neutral  by  virtue  of  Pitt's  com- 
mercial policy,  and  many  of  the  petty  German  princi- 
palities openly  approved  of  and  aided  the  French  rev- 
olutionists. 

With  military  and  diplomatic  affairs  in  this  state 
and  with  Austria  still  holding  out  for  her  impossible 
conditions,  'twas  easy  for  Dumouriez  and  the  war 
party  to  browbeat  the  wellnigh  desperate  King  into 
a  declaration  of  hostilities  that  was  to  convulse  the 
whole  of  Europe  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
This  was  done  on  the  2oth  of  April,  three  days  after 
Mr.  Calvert  had  joined  Lafayette  at  Metz,  and  was 
almost  instantly  followed  by  orders  from  Dumouriez 
to  that  general  to  advance  with  ten  thousand  men  upon 
Namur  and  thence  upon  Brussels  and  Liege. 

321 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

'Twas  Dumouriez's  policy  (and  surely  a  wise  one) 
to  strike  the  first  blow  against  Austria  through  her 
dependency,  Flanders,  which  country,  but  two  years 
before,  had  shown  the  strongest  disposition  to  throw 
off  Austrian  rule.  How  strong  that  disposition  was, 
Dumouriez  himself  knew  fully,  for  he  had  been  sent 
by  Montmorin  on  a  secret  mission  into  Belgium,  and 
he  felt  assured  that  the  Brabant  patriots  would  rally 
to  the  standards  of  the  French  army.  Had  that  army 
been  what  he  supposed,  his  plans  might  have  suc- 
ceeded and  the  humiliations  and  defeats  of  the  spring 
campaign  averted. 

As  has  been  said,  Calvert  joined  the  army  at  Metz 
a  few  days  before  the  formal  declaration  of  war  was 
made,  and  so  was  there  when  General  de  Lafayette 
received  orders  to  advance  upon  Namur.  He  was 
much  touched  by  the  reception  which  Lafayette  ac- 
corded him. 

"  I  will  give  you  a  regiment,  Calvert,  but  I  need 
you  near  my  person.  There  is  no  one  upon  whom  I 
can  rely — I  wish  you  could  be  my  aide-de-camp  again. 
It  would  be  like  old  times  once  more,"  he  said,  look- 
ing at  the  young  man  with  so  harassed  and  despondent 
a  glance  that  Calvert  was  both  surprised  and  alarmed. 

"  I  could  wish  for  nothing  better,"  he  replied,  "  but 
surely  you  do  not  mean  what  you  say — you  have  many 
others  upon  whom  you  can  count." 

"  Almost  no  one,"  replied  Lafayette,  briefly.  "  I 
distrust  my  officers  and  am  myself  suspected  of  in- 
triguing with  the  enemy.  I  know  not  what  day  I  may 
be  forced  to  fly  across  the  frontier.  No  one  is  safe, 

322 


MR.   CALVERT  SEES  A  SHORT  CAMPAIGN 

and  I  dare  not  count  upon  my  troops  to  obey  com- 
mands. Although  there  are  only  thirty  thousand 
Austrians  in  Flanders,  I  am  not  sure  that  we  can  beat 
them,"  he  said,  bitterly. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  Lafayette,  who  had  moved 
his  camp  to  Givet,  received  despatches  from  Du- 
mouriez  detailing  the  plan  of  campaign  against  Bel- 
gium. According  to  this  plan,  Lafayette,  with  ten 
thousand  picked  men,  was  to  advance  by  forced 
marches  upon  Namur.  He  was  to  be  supported  by 
two  divisions  of  the  army  of  the  North,  one  of  four 
thousand  men  under  General  Dillon,  which  was  to 
move  from  its  encampment  at  Lille  upon  Tournay, 
and  the  other  of  ten  thousand  troops  under  General 
Biron,  which  was  to  advance  from  Valenciennes  upon 
Mons.  Before  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th  Lafayette  had  his  army  in  motion  and,  as  they 
rode  out  of  the  city  gates  together,  Calvert  noted  that 
the  depression  and  anxiety  which  had  weighed  upon 
the  General  so  heavily  had  disappeared  and  that  he 
had  regained  something  of  his  old  fire  and  in- 
trepidity. 

This  renewal  of  confidence  was  cruelly  dissipated 
three  days  later  when,  on  reaching  Bouvines,  half-way 
to  Namur,  after  a  fifty-league  march  over  bad  roads, 
Lafayette  was  met  by  frightened,  breathless  cour- 
iers with  despatches  detailing  the  humiliating  disasters 
which  had  befallen  both  Biron's  and  Dillon's  divisions. 
The  former,  who  had  advanced  upon  Quievrain  and 
succeeded  in  occupying  that  town,  was  utterly  routed 
on  arriving  before  Mons,  and  fled  with  the  loss  of  all 

323 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

his  baggage.  Dillon  met  with  even  a  more  tragic  and 
shameful  fate.  Moving  upon  Tournay,  where  a 
strong  body  of  Austrians  was  ready  to  receive  him,  his 
men  were  seized  with  a  sudden  panic  and  fled  back 
to  the  gates  of  Lille,  where,  mad  with  fear  and  crying 
that  Dillon  had  betrayed  them,  they  brutally  murdered 
him.  This  disastrous  news  being  confirmed  the  fol- 
lowing day  by  further  despatches,  Lafayette  was 
forced  to  fall  back  to  Maubeuge  without  striking  a 
blow,  and  thus  ended  Calvert's  hopes  of  seeing  a  cam- 
paign which  had  promised  most  brilliantly.  The  news 
of  these  defeats  creating  the  greatest  sensation  both 
at  the  front  and  in  Paris,  Rochambeau  resigned  his 
command,  Grave  was  replaced  by  Servan  in  the  min- 
istry, and  the  army  was  reorganized. 

During  the  entire  month  of  May  Lafayette  and 
his  army  remained  inactive  at  Maubeuge  awaiting 
orders  which  the  distracted  ministers  at  Paris  were 
incapable  of  giving.  'Twas  a  pretty  little  place  near 
the  Belgian  frontier,  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Sam- 
bre,  and  which  had  been  ceded  to  France  by  the  treaty 
of  Nymwegen.  Mr.  Calvert  spent  much  of  his  leisure 
time — of  which  he  had  more  than  enough — admiring 
and  studying  the  fortifications  of  this  town,  which  had 
been  engineered  by  the  great  Vauban.  Much  of  it 
he  also  spent  with  Lafayette,  who,  in  the  intervals 
of  disciplining  his  troops  and  attending  to  his  in- 
creased military  duties — Rochambeau's  command  had 
been  divided  between  himself  and  Luckner — conversed 
freely  with  his  young  aide-de-camp.  Sometimes,  too, 
at  Lafayette's  urgent  request,  Calvert  would  sing  as 

324 


MR.  CALVERT  SEES  A  SHORT  CAMPAIGN 

he  had  used  to  do  around  the  camp-fires  in  the  Vir- 
ginia campaign.  During  those  days  and  evenings  of 
inactive  and  anxious  waiting,  the  old  friendship  be- 
tween the  two  was  renewed.  Lafayette  had  heard 
of  Calvert's  marriage  through  Mr.  Morris  and,  with 
the  utmost  delicacy,  touched  upon  the  subject.  Cal- 
vert  told  him  frankly  as  much  of  the  story  as  he  in- 
tended to  reveal  to  anyone,  and  this  confidence  be- 
came another  bond  of  friendship  between  them.  The 
years  of  separation  and  disagreement  somehow 
melted  away.  The  Lafayette  of  Maubeuge  was  like 
the  Lafayette  whom  Calvert  had  first  known  and  ad- 
mired ;  he  noticed  how  much  of  his  rabid  republican- 
ism had  vanished — indeed,  Lafayette  himself  owned 
as  much,  for  if  he  was  impetuous  and  extreme,  he  was 
also  courageous  and  was  not  afraid  or  ashamed  to 
confess  his  faults. 

"  I  have  learned  much,"  he  said  to  Calvert  one 
evening  when  they  were  alone  in  the  General's  quar- 
ters, "  and  am  beginning  to  have  radically  different 
opinions  upon  some  subjects  from  those  I  entertained 
but  a  short  while  ago.  Sometimes  I  ask  myself  if 
my  call  for  the  States-General  did  not  open  for  France 
a  Pandora's  box  of  evils.  What  has  become  of  all 
my  efforts?"  he  said,  pushing  away  a  map  of  the 
Austrian  Netherlands  which  they  had  been  studying 
together  and  beginning  to  pace  the  room  agitatedly. 
"  Instead  of  the  wise  ministers  prevailing  at  Paris, 
a  horde  of  mad,  insensate  creatures  are  ruling  the 
Assembly,  the  city,  the  whole  country !  If  only  there 
were  some  man  courageous  enough  to  defy  the  Jaco- 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

bins  and  their  power — to  meet  them  on  their  own 
ground  and  conquer  them !  What  can  I  do  at  this 
distance,  overwhelmed  with  military  duties,  restricted 
by  my  official  position?  I  have  been  thinking  of 
addressing  a  letter  to  the  Assembly,"  he  went  on, 
suddenly  turning  to  Calvert,  "  a  letter  of  warning 
against  the  Jacobin  power,  of  reproach  that  they 
should  be  ruled  by  that  ignoble  faction,  or  remon- 
strance against  their  unwarrantable  proceedings,  and 
as  soon  as  I  can  find  the  time  to  write  such  a  letter, 
I  shall  do  so,  and  despatch  it  to  Paris  by  my  secre- 
tary, let  the  consequences  be  what  they  may." 

This  design  was  not  accomplished  until  the  middle 
of  June,  for,  at  the  beginning  of  the  month,  a  num- 
ber of  skirmishes  and  night  attacks  took  place  between 
the  Austrians,  who  had  encamped  near  Maubeuge, 
and  Lafayette's  troops,  and  the  General  was  too  much 
occupied  with  the  military  situation  to  busy  himself 
with  affairs  at  Paris.  These  attacks  culminated  in  a 
bloody  and  almost  disastrous  engagement  for  the 
patriot  army  on  the  nth  of  June. 

The  Austrians,  reinforced  by  the  emigrant  army 
which  had  been  left  at  Brussels  and  in  which  Calvert 
knew  d'Azay  held  a  captain's  commission,  advanced 
during  the  early  afternoon  of  June  nth  and  attacked 
the  vanguard  of  Lafayette's  army,  encamped  two 
miles  from  Maubeuge,  farther  up  the  Sambre,  and 
commanded  by  Gouvion.  Although  the  French 
occupied  a  formidable  position,  being  securely  in- 
trenched on  rising  ground  fortified  by  a  dozen  re- 
doubts and  batteries  arranged  in  tiers,  the  enemy 

326 


MR.  CALVERT  SEES  A  SHORT  CAMPAIGN 

advanced  with  such  fierceness  and  intrepidity  that 
Gouvion  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  his  gunners  from 
deserting  their  posts.  The  infantry,  too,  behaved  ill, 
and  when  ordered  to  advance,  wavered  and  were 
driven  back  at  the  very  first  charge  from  the  Aus- 
trians.  Their  cavalry  pursued  the  advantage  thus 
gained  and  pressed  forward,  advancing  in  three  lines 
and  driving  the  disordered  French  troops  before  them 
up  the  hill.  At  this  juncture,  Lafayette,  with  six 
thousand  men  and  two  thousand  horse,  arrived,  having 
been  sent  for  in  hot  haste  by  Gouvion  when  the  action 
first  began,  and,  attacking  the  Austrian  and  emigres 
from  the  flank,  after  a  sharp  and  bloody  struggle, 
succeeded  by  nightfall  in  putting  them  to  flight. 
Although  the  forces  engaged  in  this  action  were  small, 
the  slaughter  was  terrible  and  the  little  battle-field  by 
the  Sambre  presented  a  ghastly  sight  in  the  moon- 
light of  that  June  night.  Gouvion  himself  was  killed 
leading  the  last  attack,  and  the  Austrian  and  emigrant 
forces  suffered  severely.  The  regiment  which  Cal- 
vert  commanded  was  in  the  thick  of  the  engagement 
the  whole  time,  once  it  arrived  on  the  scene  of  action, 
and  no  officer  of  either  side  more  exposed  or  distin- 
guished himself  than  did  the  young  American.  In- 
deed, it  was  not  from  reckless  bravery  that  he  offered 
himself  a  target  for  the  bullets  of  the  enemy,  but  from 
a  feeling  that  he  would  not  be  sorry  to  end  there, 
to  close  forever  the  book  of  his  life.  And,  as  usual 
with  those  who  seek,  rather  than  avoid,  death  in  battle, 
from  this  action,  which  was  the  only  one  he  was 
destined  to  engage  in,  he  came  out  unscathed,  while 

327 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

many  another  poor  fellow  who  longed  to  live,  lay 
quiet  and  cold  on  the  bloody  ground. 

So  close  was  the  fighting  during  the  late  afternoon 
that  Calvert  once  thought  he  caught  a  glimpse  of 
d'Azay  and,  with  a  strange  presentiment  of  evil,  he 
determined  to  look  for  him  among  the  slain.  Accom- 
panied by  an  orderly  bearing  a  lantern — though  the 
moonlight  was  so  bright  that  one  could  easily  recognize 
the  pallid,  upturned  faces — he  began  his  search  an 
hour  after  the  firing  had  ceased,  with  many  others 
engaged  in  the  same  ghastly  work  of  finding  dead 
comrades.  He  had  looked  but  a  short  while,  or  so  it 
seemed  to  him,  when  he  came  upon  d'Azay  lying 
prone  upon  a  little  hillock  of  Austrian  slain.  As  Cal- 
vert looked  down  upon  him,  grief  for  this  dead  friend 
and  an  awful  sense  of  the  futility  of  the  sacrifice  which 
had  been  made  for  him,  came  upon  him.  He 
knelt  beside  him  for  a  few  minutes  and  looked 
into  the  quiet,  dead  face.  He  had  never  before 
thought  that  d'Azay  resembled  Adrienne,  but  now 
the  resemblance  of  brother  and  sister  was  quite  marked, 
and  'twas  with  the  sharpest  pang  Calvert  had  ever 
known  that  he  looked  upon  those  pallid  features.  It 
might  have  been  that  other  and  dearer  face,  he  thought 
to  himself.  At  length  he  arose  and,  helping  the 
orderly  place  the  body  upon  a  stretcher,  they  bore  it 
back  to  the  camp,  where,  next  day,  it  was  buried 
with  what  military  honors  Calvert  could  get  accorded 
it.  He  sent  a  lock  of  d'Azay's  hair,  his  seals  and 
rings,  back  to  Paris  to  Adrienne  (he  kept  for  his 
own  her  miniature,  which  he  found  in  d'Azay's  pocket 

328 


MR.  CALVERT  SEES  A  SHORT  CAMPAIGN 

and  which  he  had  first  seen  that  night  at  Monticello), 
and  the  letter  she  wrote  him  thanking  him  for  all  he 
had  done  were  the  first  written  words  of  hers  he  had 
ever  had.  Though  there  was  not  a  word  of  love  in 
the  note — not  even  of  friendship — Calvert  re-read  it 
a  score  of  times  and  treasured  it,  and  at  last  put  it 
with  the  miniature  in  the  little  chamois  case  that 
rested  near  his  heart. 

The  check  which  Lafayette  had  put  upon  the  Aus- 
trians  on  the  nth  of  June  having  produced  a  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities,  he  wrote  and  despatched  to  the 
Assembly  the  letter  which  he  had  had  in  contempla- 
tion for  some  time  and  of  which  he  had  spoken  to 
Calvert.  This  courageous  letter — the  authenticity  of 
which  was  fiercely  denied  in  the  Assembly — not  only 
did  not  produce  the  effect  Lafayette  so  hoped  for,  but 
was  followed  by  the  outrage  of  the  2oth  of  June. 
Who  does  not  know  the  shameful  events  of  that 
day  ? — the  invasion  of  the  Tuileries  by  hordes  of  ruf- 
fians and  the  insults  to  helpless  royalty? 

When  Lafayette  heard  of  the  uprising  of  the  2Oth 
he  determined  to  go  in  person  to  Paris,  affirm  the 
authorship  of  his  letter,  and  urge  upon  the  Assembly 
the  destruction  of  the  Jacobin  party.  He  sent  Cal- 
vert to  Luckner's  head-quarters  to  ask  of  the  Mare- 
chal  permission  to  go  to  Paris  and,  placing  his  troops 
in  safety  under  the  guns  of  Maubeuge,  he  departed 
for  the  capital,  whither  he  arrived  on  the  28th.  After 
two  days  spent  in  incessant  and  fruitless  efforts  with 
the  Assembly  and  National  Guard,  in  audiences  with 
the  King  and  consultations  with  friends,  he  sped  back 

329 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

to  the  army,  more  thoroughly  and  bitterly  convinced 
than  ever  that  the  revolution  which  he  had  led  and 
believed  in  was  now  fast  approaching  anarchy;  that 
the  throne  was  lost  and  his  own  brilliant  popularity 
vanished.  He  took  with  him  to  Calvert  the  news  of 
the  sudden  death  of  the  old  Duchesse  d'Azay — she 
had  failed  rapidly  since  hearing  of  the  death  of  d'Azay, 
and  had  passed  away  painlessly  on  the  morning  of 
Lafayette's  arrival  in  Paris — the  escape  of  St.  Aulaire 
to  Canada,  and  a  letter  from  Mr.  Morris. 

"  He  desired  me  to  give  you  this,"  said  Lafay- 
ette, gravely,  handing  the  letter  to  Calvert.  "  The 
message  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  We  had  a  long 
interview.  I  am  at  last  come  to  the  same  opinion  on 
certain  subjects  as  himself,"  he  said,  with  a  gloomy 
smile,  "  and  we  want  your  co-operation.  He  will 
explain  all  when  he  sees  you.  As  for  myself,  I  must 
say  no  more,"  and  he  went  away,  leaving  the  young 
man  to  read  his  letter  alone. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

MR.     CALVERT    QUITS    THE    ARMY    AND    ENGAGES    IN    A 
HAZARDOUS     ENTERPRISE 

THE  letter  which  Calvert  had  received  from  Mr. 
Morris  was  short  but  very  urgent.  It  begged  him 
to  resign  his  commission  at  once,  which  affair,  the 
letter  hinted,  would  be  immediately  arranged  by  La- 
fayette, and  come  to  Paris,  as  Mr.  Morris  had  busi- 
ness of  the  first  importance  on  hand  in  which  he 
wished  Calvert's  assistance.  It  went  on  to  add  that 
the  exact  nature  of  that  business  had  best  not  be 
divulged  until  the  young  man  should  find  himself  at 
the  American  Legation,  and  ended  by  urging  Mr. 
Calvert  not  to  delay  his  departure  from  Maubeuge  by 
a  day,  if  possible. 

Conformably  with  these  requests  Calvert  set  out 
for  Paris  on  the  very  next  day,  after  the  briefest  of 
preparations,  and,  arriving  in  the  city  on  the  evening 
of  the  7th,  made  his  way  straight  to  the  rue  de 
la  Planche,  where  he  found  Mr.  Morris  anxiously 
awaiting  him.  With  a  brief  greeting,  and  scarcely 
allowing  the  young  man  time  to  divest  himself  of  his 
travelling  things,  he  drew  him  into  his  private  study, 
and  there,  with  locked  doors,  began  eagerly  to  speak 
about  the  business  upon  which  he  had  called  Calvert 
so  hastily  to  Paris. 

331 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

"  I  knew  I  could  trust  you,"  said  Mr.  Morris  to 
Calvert.  "  Lafayette  has  given  you  my  letter  and  you 
have  lost  no  time  in  coming  to  me,  as  I  felt  assured 
you  would  do,  my  boy.  Tis  the  most  satisfactory 
sensation  in  the  world  to  feel  an  absolute  trust  in 
one  as  I  do  in  you,"  he  went  on,  with  a  kindly  look 
at  the  young  man.  "  Living  in  the  midst  of  this 
people  who  think  less  than  nothing  of  breaking  every 
agreement,  violating  every  oath,  that  feeling  of  con- 
fidence becomes  doubly  precious.  But  to  the  busi- 
ness in  hand."  He  hesitated  slightly  and  then  went 
on,  "  You  must  know  that  in  the  month  of  November 
last  (and  before  my  appointment  by  Congress  to  this 
post  of  American  Minister  to  France),  inspired  by 
the  unhappy  consequences  to  the  Royal  Family  of  the 
flight  to  Varennes,  I,  together  with  several  of  the 
stanchest  friends  of  the  harassed  monarch,  engaged 
in  an  enterprise  to  assist  the  King  and  Queen  to  escape, 
from  France.  This  plan,  in  which  Favernay,  Mon- 
ciel,  Beaufort,  Bremond,  and  some  others  whom  you 
know,  were  leagued  together,  never  ripened,  because, 
by  the  appointment  of  Narbonne  and  the  prepara- 
tions for  war  which  immediately  commenced,  we 
hoped  that  Louis  might  regain  his  lost  power.  It 
was  at  this  juncture  and  while  I  thought  that  this 
enterprise  was  at  an  end  and  that  there  would  be 
no  further  occasion  for  me  to  intermeddle  in  the 
politics  of  this  unhappy  country,  that  I  received  and 
accepted  my  appointment  as  Minister  to  this  court. 
Most  unfortunately,  the  great  opportunity  which 
the  King  had  to  retrieve  his  fortunes  he  flung  away 

332 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

by  his  subsequent  vacillation  and  his  secret  nego- 
tiations with  the  allies ;  and  this,  together  with  the 
reverses  of  the  French  army,  the  growing  violence 
of  the  opposing  political  factions  here,  and  the  ter- 
rible events  of  the  2Oth  of  June,  have  again  made  it 
necessary  for  the  friends  of  the  King,  if  they  wish  to 
save  him,  to  exert  themselves  in  his  behalf.  When 
this  was  made  plain,  those  gentlemen  with  whom  I 
had  formerly  been  associated  in  the  effort  to  serve 
His  Majesty  again  applied  to  me  for  assistance,  so 
that  I  found  myself  in  the  cruel  position  of  either 
betraying  my  official  trust  or  of  abandoning  the 
monarch  whom  I  sincerely  pitied  and  whom  I  had 
pledged  myself  to  aid.  The  last  and  most  moving 
appeal  made  to  me  was  that  of  Monsieur  Lafayette. 
I  met  him  at  the  Tuileries  when  he  went  to  pay  his 
respects  to  their  Majesties  before  rejoining  his  army. 
I  know  not  what  had  passed  between  the  King  and 
himself  at  the  levee,  for  I  arrived  just  as  he  was 
going,  but  I  saw  by  his  countenance  that  he  had  the 
gloomiest  forebodings.  He  drew  me  into  a  small 
anteroom  and  spoke  to  me  with  his  old  familiarity 
and  affection.  Indeed,  he  is  greatly  changed,  and  I 
could  not  help  but  be  touched  by  the  consternation 
and  grief  that  weighed  upon  him.  He  opened  himself 
to  me  very  freely  and  confessed  that  'twas  his  opinion 
that  the  King  was  lost  if  brave  and  wise  friends  did 
not  immediately  offer  their  services  in  his  behalf.  He 
knew  of  the  scheme  in  which  I  had  been  before  en- 
gaged to  assit  the  King,  and  he  besought  me  to  renew 
those  engagements  and  to  prosecute  them  with  the 

333 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

utmost  diligence.  The  King,  he  said,  had  let  fall 
some  expressions  indicating  his  confidence  in  myself, 
'  a  confidence,'  said  Lafayette,  '  which  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  show  he  did  not  feel  in  me.  The  Queen 
is  even  more  distrustful  of  me  than  the  King,  so  that 
I  think  their  safety  lies  in  your  hands.  But,  believe 
me,  though  they  do  not  trust  me,  they  have  no  more 
devoted  servant.  I  am  come,  at  length,  to  your 
belief  that  in  the  King  alone  is  to  be  found  the  cure 
for  the  ills  of  the  present  time,  and  not  the  most 
ardent  royalist  is  now  more  anxious  to  preserve  His 
Majesty  than  myself.'  While  Lafayette  was  speak- 
ing, a  way  out  of  my  difficulties  suddenly  occurred 
to  me.  I  thought  of  you,  my  boy,  and,  knowing 
that  I  could  rely  on  you  as  on  myself,  I  determined 
to  appeal  to  you  to  act  in  my  stead,  to  take  upon 
yourself  those  dangers  and  risks  which,  in  my  posi- 
tion of  minister  from  a  neutral  power  to  this  coun- 
try, I  have  now  no  right  to  assume.  I  know  how  great 
a  thing  I  am  asking,  but  I  also  know  your  gen- 
erous nature,  your  steadfastness,  your  capability  to 
carry  through  discreetly  and  swiftly  any  undertak- 
ing you  engage  in.  As  an  American,  you  will  have 
the  confidence  of  the  King  and  Queen,  and  will  act  as 
a  surety  for  Lafayette,  whom  'tis  only  too  true  their 
Majesties  distrust  profoundly.  I  reminded  Lafay- 
ette of  the  unalterable  obligation  which  prevented  me 
from  interesting  myself  personally  in  the  political 
situation  here  and  of  the  plan  I  had  just  formed  of 
appealing  to  you.  He  approved  of  it  entirely,  say- 
ing that  there  was  no  one  in  whose  hands  he  would 

334 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

more  willingly  leave  matters.  We  made  an  appoint- 
ment for  that  evening  at  Monsieur  de  la  Rochefou- 
cauld's, where  he  was  staying,  to  discuss  some  plan 
of  assistance  to  his  Majesty.  I  consented  to  this 
interview,  for  it  was  impossible  at  that  late  hour  to 
call  together  all  those  interested  in  the  affair  and,  as 
Lafayette  was  leaving  the  next  morning,  something 
had  to  be  done  immediately.  Our  interview  was  a 
long  one,  but  the  plan  we  hit  upon  was,  in  the  end, 
very  simple  and,  indeed,  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
the  short  time,  and  the  necessity  for  the  greatest 
secrecy  demand  that  the  simplest  methods  should  be 
employed.  Shall  I  tell  you  that  plan  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Morris,  suddenly  breaking  off  in  the  midst  of  his  long 
talk  and  regarding  Calvert  with  a  keen,  questioning 
glance. 

"  There  is  no  lead  I  would  follow  sooner  than  yours, 
Mr.  Morris,"  replied  the  young  man,  quietly  and  firm- 
ly. "  As  you  know,  all  my  sympathies  are  with  the 
King  and  Queen,  and  in  whatsoever  way  I  can  serve 
their  Majesties  I  am  ready  here  and  now  to  pledge 
myself  to  that  service." 

Indeed,  the  enterprise  suited  Calvert's  temper  well. 
Any  excitement  or  danger  was  welcome  to  him  just 
then.  His  hopes  of  seeing  military  service  having 
been  frustrated,  he  was  glad  to  find  some  other  scheme 
at  hand  which  promised  to  divert  his  melancholy 
thoughts  from  himself. 

1  'Tis  like  you  to  speak  so,  boy,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
grasping  Calvert  warmly  by  the  hand.  "  I  knew  you 
would  not  fail  me.  And,  before  God,  how  could  I 

335 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

fail  them  ? "  he  burst  out,  rising  in  agitation  and 
stumping  about  the  room.  "  I  have  done  wrong  in 
engaging  in  the  remotest  way  in  this  affair,  in  urging 
you  to  become  a  party  to  it,  but  my  humanity  forbids 
me  to  withhold  whatever  of  aid  I  can  render.  Was 
ever  a  monarch  so  cruelly  beset,  so  bereft  of  wise 
counsellors,  of  trusty  friends?  He  knows  not  where 
to  look  for  help,  nor  which  way  to  turn.  He  suspects 
every  adviser  of  treachery,  of  self-interest,  of  veniality, 
and  he  has  reason  to  do  so.  The  wisest,  in  his  des- 
perate position,  would  scarce  know  how  to  bear  him- 
self, and  what  can  we  expect  of  so  narrow  an  intellect, 
so  vacillating  and  timid  a  nature?  I  pity  him  pro- 
foundly, but  I  also  despise  him,  for  there  is  a  want 
of  metal  in  him  which  will  ever  prevent  him  from 
being  truly  royal." 

"  Tis  doubly  difficult  to  help  those  who  will  not  help 
themselves.  Do  you  think  it  is  really  possible  to  save 
his  Majesty?  "  asked  Calvert,  doubtfully. 

"  We  can  but  make  one  more  desperate  effort,  and 
I  confess  that  I  rely  more  on  the  firmness  of  the 
Queen  for  its  success  than  I  do  on  the  King,"  said 
Mr.  Morris.  "  But  I  will  tell  you  of  the  plan  and  you 
can  judge  for  yourself  of  its  feasibility." 

The  scheme  agreed  upon  between  Mr.  Morris  and 
Lafayette  in  that  interview  at  Monsieur  de  la  Roche- 
foucauld's, and  which  Mr.  Morris  proceeded  to  detail 
to  Calvert,  was  briefly  this:  It  being  evident  that  as 
long  as  the  King  remained  in  Paris  he  was  a  virtual 
prisoner  and  subject  to  the  capricious  commands  of 
the  Assembly,  his  ministers,  and  the  mobs,  daily 

336 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

increasing  in  numbers  and  lawlessness,  it  seemed  to 
both  Mr.  Morris  and  Lafayette  that  the  thing  of 
first  importance  was  to  effect  the  King's  escape  from 
the  capital.  To  accomplish  this  it  was  Lafayette's 
suggestion  that  the  King  should  go  to  the  As- 
sembly when  affairs  should  be  ripe  for  that  act  and 
announce  his  intention  of  passing  a  few  days  at 
one  of  his  country  residences  within  the  limits  pre- 
scribed for  his  free  movements.  "  I  thought  he 
blushed  as  he  made  this  suggestion,  and  'twas  all  I 
could  do  to  keep  from  asking  him  if  he  intended  to 
serve  his  Majesty  on  this  occasion  as  he  had  in  the 
St.  Cloud  affair,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  dryly.  "  But  his 
distress  and  his  sincerity  were  so  evident  that  I  con- 
tained myself."  The  King  established  as  far  from 
Paris  as  possible,  Lafayette  was  to  arrange  a  ma- 
noeuvre of  his  troops  at  a  point  near  the  royal  residence, 
and  once  arrived  there,  he  was  to  rapidly  and  secretly 
march  the  trustiest  of  his  regiments  to  the  King's 
rescue,  surround  the  palace,  and  call  upon  the  army 
for  a  new  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  monarch  and  consti- 
tution. Rendered  independent  by  this  stroke,  Louis 
was  to  issue  a  proclamation  forbidding  the  allies  and 
emigres  to  enter  his  kingdom.  Should  the  army 
flash  in  the  pan  and  refuse  to  swear  allegiance,  Lafay- 
ette was,  at  all  hazards,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  regi- 
ments whose  loyalty  was  beyond  question,  to  escort 
the  King  to  a  place  of  safety  beyond  the  border. 

For  the  accomplishment  of  this  plan,  simple  though 
it  was,  an  enormous  sum  of  money  and  the  greatest 
diplomacy  were  necessary.  As  for  the  money,  that 

337 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

was  easily  come  by ;  indeed,  Monsieur  de  Monciel  had 
already  brought  to  Mr.  Morris  two  hundred  thousand 
livres  contributed  by  the  loyal  adherents  of  His 
Majesty;  more  was  promised  within  the  next  few 
days.  Mr.  Morris  consented  to  receive  these  sums, 
though  he  felt  obliged  to  refuse  the  protection  of  the 
Legation  to  any  papers  relative  to  the  matter  in  hand. 
With  such  sums  at  their  disposal  it  was  hoped  and 
believed  by  Mr.  Morris  and  the  other  ardent  friends 
of  the  unfortunate  sovereign  that  enough  influential 
members  of  the  Assembly  could  be  bribed  to  insure 
the  King's  departure  from  Paris  and  the  allegiance 
of  those  doubtful  regiments  upon  the  frontier. 

"  It  was  my  suggestion,  Calvert,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
"  that  you  should  be  sent  to  test  and  influence  those 
disaffected  regiments,  and  to  find  a  safe  retreat  for 
his  Majesty  in  case  of  failure  of  our  scheme,  while 
we  remain  here  to  work  with  the  members  of  the 
Assembly  and  watch  the  situation  for  a  favorable 
moment  to  strike  the  blow.  It  was  my  further  sug- 
gestion that  your  wife  should  be  one  of  the  ladies- 
in-waiting  to  the  Queen,  that  we  might  have  sure  and 
swift  intelligence  of  what  passes  within  the  palace. 
By  the  greatest  good  fortune  I  heard  the  following 
day,  through  Madame  de  Flahaut,  of  the  illness  and 
withdrawal  of  one  of  the  Queen's  attendants,  and  the 
next  evening  at  court,  having  the  opportunity  of 
saying  a  few  words  in  private  to  her  Majesty,  I 
besought  her  to  give  the  vacant  post  to  your  wife.  I 
intimated  to  her  that  the  appointment  was  of  the 
greatest  importance  to  herself  and  the  King,  and  being, 

338 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

doubtless,  impressed  by  the  earnestness  of  my  man- 
ner, she  promised  to  grant  my  request,  though  she 
had  intended  to  leave  the  place  vacant,  saying  bitterly 
that  'twere  best  she  should  draw  no  other  into  the  cir- 
cle of  danger  which  surrounded  her.  I  had  the  satis- 
faction of  learning  yesterday  that  the  appointment 
had  been  made,  and  already  your  wife  is  installed  as 
a  lady-in-waiting  at  the  Tuileries. 

"  Under  cover  of  letters  to  her — which,  I  think,  will 
be  more  likely  to  escape  patriotic  curiosity  than  any 
others — you  will  keep  the  King  and  his  friends  here 
in  Paris  informed  of  your  movements  and  the  prog- 
ress of  affairs,  and  through  her  we  can  have  intimate 
knowledge  of  what  passes  in  the  palace,  so  that  they 
can  hardly  fail  to  know  when  to  take  the  decisive 
step.  Are  you  willing  to  undertake  this  difficult  and 
dangerous  enterprise  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Morris,  looking  at 
the  young  man. 

"With  all  my  heart,"  replied  Calvert.  "Were  I 
not  interested  in  the  cause  itself,  I  would  still  remem- 
ber the  graciousness  of  their  Majesties  when  I  was 
presented  to  them,  and  hold  it  a  privilege  to  serve 
them." 

"  You  will  see  them  again  to-morrow  evening  and 
can  assure  them  yourself  of  your  fidelity.  I  think 
they  have  no  doubt  of  it  now,  nor  ever  will.  Through 
Monsieur  de  Favernay  I  arranged  for  a  private  au- 
dience with  the  King  and  Queen  for  to-morrow — you 
see,  I  counted  on  you  as  on  myself,  and  felt  assured 
that  you  would  come  at  the  earliest  moment,  Ned. 
At  that  interview  I  will  again  present  you  to  their 

339 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

Majesties,  and  then  I  will  withdraw  definitely  from  all 
connection  with  this  affair,  leaving  you  to  lay  the 
plan  before  the  King  and  Queen,  and  to  carry  it 
through  should  it  be  agreed  to  by  their  Majesties." 

The  two  gentlemen  sat  up  until  far  into  the  night 
discussing  the  enterprise,  Calvert  making  many  val- 
uable suggestions,  and  entering  so  heartily  into  the 
arrangement  that  Mr.  Morris  began  to  take  a  more 
hopeful  view  of  the  situation  than  he  had  hitherto 
allowed  himself  to  do. 

On  the  following  evening,  about  ten  o'clock,  Beau- 
fort arrived  hastily  at  the  Legation  with  the  infor- 
mation that  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  private 
audience  which  Mr.  Morris  had  requested,  and  the 
three  gentlemen,  entering  a  coach,  were  driven  rapidly 
to  the  Tuileries.  They  were  introduced  at  a  wicket 
on  the  little  rue  du  Manege,  and,  passing  up  a  stair- 
way seldom  used  and  through  the  Queen's  apartments, 
at  length  found  themselves  at  the  door  of  a  small  and 
private  chamber  of  his  Majesty's  suite.  At  this  door 
Beaufort  tapped  gently,  and  hearing  an  "  Entrez !  " 
from  within,  he  pushed  it  open,  and  then,  with  a  low 
bow,  retired,  leaving  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  to  enter 
by  themselves. 

His  Majesty  was  alone  and  seated  beside  a  small 
table,  on  which  were  a  lamp  and  some  writing  mate- 
rials. As  Mr.  Morris  and  Calvert  advanced  into  the 
room  he  rose  and  graciously  extended  a  hand  to  each 
of  the  gentlemen. 

"Vous  etes  le  bien  venu,"  he  says  to  Mr.  Morris, 
and  then,  looking  at  Calvert  with  a  half-smile,  "I 

340 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

remember  you  very  well,  now,"  he  adds,  rapidly,  in 
French  to  the  younger  man.  While  the  King  was 
speaking,  Calvert  noticed  with  a  glance  the  heavy, 
harassed  expression  of  Louis's  face.  The  eyes,  which 
had  once  been  benign  and  rather  stupid,  had  now 
a  haunted,  suspicious  look  in  them.  While  he  was 
yet  bowing,  and  before  he  could  form  a  reply  to  the 
King's  remarks,  the  Queen  entered  rapidly  from  an 
adjoining  apartment.  Calvert  felt  a  shock,  a  thrill 
of  pity,  as  he  looked  at  her  Majesty.  A  dozen  fateful 
years  seemed  to  have  rolled  over  that  countenance, 
so  lovely  when  last  he  had  seen  it.  Though  she  still 
held  herself  proudly,  the  animation  and  beauty  of 
face  and  figure  had  vanished.  The  large  blue  eyes 
were  tired  and  red  with  weeping,  the  complexion  had 
lost  its  brilliancy,  and  the  fair  hair  was  tinged  with 
gray.  History  hath  made  it  out  that  the  Queen's  hair 
whitened  in  a  single  night  of  her  captivity,  but  it  had 
already  begun  to  lose  its  golden  color  before  the  days 
of  the  Temple,  and  the  lock  which  she  shortly  after 
this  sent  to  Calvert,  in  token  of  her  appreciation  of 
his  services,  was  thickly  streaked  with  white. 

She  came  forward  and  stood  beside  the  King, 
inclining  her  head  graciously  to  Mr.  Morris,  who 
made  their  Majesties  a  profound  obeisance. 

"  I  am  come  to  again  present  my  friend,  Mr.  Calvert 
of  Virginia,  to  your  Majesties,"  he  says,  indicating 
Calvert,  who  bowed  again,  and  at  whom  the  Queen 
looked  with  a  keen,  suspicious  glance  that  almost  in- 
stantly kindled  into  one  of  kindness  and  trust.  "  He  is 
to  be  my  representative  in  that  affair  in  which  it  will 

341 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

be  my  undying  regret  not  to  have  been  able  to  par- 
ticipate," continued  Mr.  Morris,  "  and  I  beg  of  your 
Majesties  to  give  him  your  utmost  confidence  and 
trust,  for  I  assure  your  Majesties  that  he  is  entirely 
worthy  of  both.  He  will  acquaint  you  with  the  de- 
tails of  that  plan,  the  existence  of  which  Monsieur  de 
Monciel  intimated  to  your  Majesties  yesterday,  and, 
should  that  plan  meet  with  your  royal  approval,  Mr. 
Calvert  is  ready  to  stake  his  life  and  his  honor  in  the 
execution  of  it.  Your  Majesties  understand  how  im- 
possible it  is  for  me  to  say  more,  and  I  can  only  ask 
permission  to  withdraw." 

'Twas  the  Queen  who  answered — the  King  seemed 
unable  to  find  a  word. 

"  We  thank  you  with  all  our  hearts,"  she  says,  in 
a  low,  mournful  tone,  looking  at  Mr.  Morris,  "  and 
we  understand."  At  her  gesture  of  recognition  and 
dismissal  Mr.  Morris  executed  another  low  obeisance 
and  withdrew. 

Left  alone  with  the  King  and  Queen,  and  being 
seated,  at  their  Majesties'  invitation,  Calvert  un- 
folded to  them  in  detail  the  plan  agreed  upon  by 
the  King's  friends,  leaving  out  as  much  as  possible 
Lafayette's  part  in  it  ('twas  his  own  wish,  conveyed 
through  Mr.  Morris)  lest  the  Queen  should  take 
fright  and  refuse  her  sanction  to  the  enterprise.  In- 
deed, so  deep  was  her  distrust  of  him,  that  to  Mr. 
Calvert  it  seemed  that  she  only  gave  her  consent 
because  of  the  share  Mr.  Morris  and  himself  had  in  it. 

"  So  that  is  the  plan,"  she  said,  musing.  "  We 
betrayed  ourselves  when  we  succored  America.  Per- 

342 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

haps  we  are  to  be  repaid  now  and  Americans  are  to 
help  us  in  this  desperate  strait.  Tis  a  bitter  humilia- 
tion to  have  to  turn  to  strangers  for  aid,  but  our  only 
true  friends  are  all  scattered  now;  there  is  no  one 
about  us  but  would  betray  and  sacrifice  us,"  she  says, 
bitterly,  and  looking  at  the  King,  whose  heavy  counte- 
nance reflected  in  a  dull  way  her  poignant  distress. 

"  Pardon  me,  Your  Majesty,"  says  Calvert,  ar- 
dently, "  there  are  still  some  stanch  friends  left  to 
you.  I  have  seen  these  gentlemen  but  this  morning, 
when  we  discussed  anew  this  plan,  and  they  but  wait 
your  approval  to  pledge  their  lives  and  fortunes  to 
extricate  Your  Majesties  from  the  distressing  situa- 
tion you  now  find  yourselves  in.  It  but  depends 
upon  you  to  say  whether  this  scheme  shall  be  car- 
ried through.  With  firmness  and  confidence  on  your 
part  it  cannot  fail." 

"  I  fear  to  hope  again — do  not  arouse  my  expecta- 
tions only  to  have  them  disappointed,"  and  rising  in 
the  greatest  agitation,  the  Queen  began  to  pace 
up  and  down  the  little  room.  "  Who  would  have 
thought  that  Fersen  could  fail? — and  yet  he  did." 
She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands  to  hide  the  tears 
which  filled  her  eyes.  Suddenly  she  stopped  before 
Calvert,  who  had  risen,  and  gave  him  so  penetrating 
and  anguished  a  look  that  the  young  man  could  scarce 
bear  to  meet  her  glance. 

"  There  is  that  in  your  face  which  inspires  con- 
fidence," says  the  Queen.  "  I  think  you  would  not 
know  either  defeat  or  deceit.  Pray  God  you  may  not. 
We  will  trust  him,  shall  we  not?"  she  says,  turning 

343 


CALVERT   OF    STRATHORE 

to  the  King  and  putting  out  her  hand  so  graciously 
that  Calvert  fell  upon  one  knee  before  her  and  kissed 
it.  He  knelt  to  the  suffering  woman  who  had  in- 
stinctively appealed  to  him  and  her  faith  in  him  even 
more  than  to  the  desperate  Queen. 

It  was  by  such  moments  of  genuineness  and  win- 
ning sweetness  that  Marie  Antoinette  captivated  those 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  Could  such  bursts 
of  true  feeling  have  endured,  could  she  always  have 
been  as  sincere  and  single-hearted  as  she  was  at  such 
times,  she  would  have  been  a  great  and  good  woman. 
Genius,  ambition,  firmness,  courage,  all  these  she  had, 
but  insincerity  and  suspicion  warped  a  noble  nature. 
To  Calvert,  just  then,  she  seemed  the  incarnation  of 
great  womanhood,  and  'twas  with  the  utmost  fervor 
that  he  pressed  her  to  allow  himself  and  her  other 
faithful  friends  to  serve  her. 

"  In  a  few  weeks  all  will  be  ready,"  he  says.  "  I 
go  from  here  to  the  frontier  to  visit  and,  if  possible, 
win  over  those  troops  whose  loyalty  to  your  Majes- 
ties has  been  in  question;  then  on  to  secure  a  safe 
retreat  in  case  our  plan  fails,  which,  pray  God,  it  may 
not!  Either  Worms,  where  Monsieur  de  Conde  is 
powerful,  or  Spire,  whose  Prince-Bishop  is  most  de- 
voted to  your  Majesties,  will  surely  offer  its  hospital- 
ity and  protection.  It  depends  only  on  your  Maj- 
esties' firmness  to  escape  from  this  capital  and  cap- 
tivity. Through  letters  to  my  wife  "  (Calvert  hesi- 
tated slightly — 'twas  the  first  time  he  had  so  used 
the  word)  "  your  Majesties  will  know  exactly  the 
situation  of  affairs  outside  of  Paris,  and  through  her 

344 


A  HAZARDOUS  ENTERPRISE 

replies  we  must  know  what  takes  place  in  the  palace. 
Kept  informed  of  each  other's  movements,  'twill  be 
easy  to  fix  upon  the  best  day  for  striking  the  blow 
we  have  in  contemplation,  and,  if  you  will  but  do  your 
part,  it  must  needs  be  successful."  As  he  concluded 
his  urgent  appeal  he  rose  from  his  knees  and  stood 
before  the  King  and  Queen,  glancing  anxiously  from 
one  to  the  other.  His  face  expressed  so  much  ear- 
nestness and  enthusiasm  that  their  Majesties  could 
not  help  but  be  impressed. 

"  And  our  engagements  with  our  cousin  of  Aus- 
tria ?  "  said  the  Queen,  after  an  instant's  silence,  "  for 
I  will  not  conceal  from  you,  Monsieur,  that  since 
Varennes  I  have  no  hope  save  in  our  allies." 

"  Were  it  not  better  that  you  should  depend  for 
your  safety  on  your  own  subjects,  Madame  ?  "  asked 
Calvert. 

The  King  agreed  with  him  and  said  so  at  once,  but 
it  was  with  reluctance  that  the  Queen  gave  her  con- 
sent to  the  enterprise. 

"  It  is  a  noble  plan  and  a  hazardous  one,  and  we 
thank  you,  Monsieur,  and  those  other  gentlemen  who 
are  imperilling  their  lives  to  insure  our  safety,  but  I 
confess  to  you,"  said  her  Majesty,  sadly,  "  that  I 
sanction  the  undertaking  and  enter  into  it,  not  in  the 
hope  that  the  first  part  of  it  will  succeed — alas !  I 
distrust  our  generals  and  troops  too  deeply  for  that — 
but  in  the  belief  that  once  out  of  Paris  we  may  ulti- 
mately be  able  to  take  refuge  with  our  friends  beyond 
the  frontier." 

As  she  spoke,  there  came  a  hurried  tapping  at  the 
345 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

door,  and,  almost  before  permission  to  enter  had  been 
given,  Beaufort  appeared.  He  signed  hastily  to  Cal- 
vert  to  depart,  and  on  a  silent  gesture  of  dismissal 
from  the  King  and  Queen,  he  followed  the  young 
nobleman  from  the  room  through  a  door  opposite 
to  the  one  by  which  he  had  been  admitted.  Hurry- 
ing past  endless  antechambers,  down  marble  stair- 
ways, and  through  long  corridors,  Calvert  at  length 
found  himself  at  a  little  gate  which  gave  upon  the 
Carrousel.  This  Beaufort  unlocked  and,  giving  the 
password  to  the  Swiss  sentry  who  stood  without, 
the  two  young  men  at  length  found  themselves  on  the 
Quai  des  Tuileries.  There,  after  a  moment's  hurried 
conversation,  during  which  Calvert  told  Beaufort  of 
the  result  of  the  momentous  interview  with  the  King 
and  Queen,  the  two  parted,  the  young  Frenchman  re- 
turning to  the  palace  and  Calvert  making  his  way  as 
quickly  as  possible  back  to  the  Legation,  where  Mr. 
Morris  anxiously  awaited  him. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

MR.  CALVERT  STARTS  ON  A  JOURNEY 

THE  Queen's  consent  having  been  obtained,  Cal- 
vert  set  out  upon  his  journey  to  the  frontier  the  next 
day.  He  would  have  carried  a  lighter  heart  had  he 
felt  better  assured  of  the  good  faith  of  the  King  and 
Queen.  Louis  had  given  his  consent  readily  enough 
and  had  approved  heartily  of  the  plan,  for  it  had  ever 
been  against  his  real  wishes  to  call  in  the  aid  of  the 
allies,  but  Calvert  knew  too  well  how  little  he  dared 
rely  on  the  King's  firmness  or  courage.  As  for  the 
Queen,  he  could  only  hope  that  the  continued  repre- 
sentations of  Beaufort,  Favernay,  and  others  about 
her  Majesty  cognizant  of  the  enterprise  and  the  con- 
fidence she  had  expressed  in  himself,  would  confirm 
her  in  her  resolution  to  help  carry  the  undertaking 
through  to  a  successful  termination. 

Mr.  Calvert  first  made  his  way  with  all  possible 
expedition  back  to  Maubeuge,  where  he  reported  to 
Lafayette  the  result  of  his  interview  with  their 
Majesties  and  received  from  him  letters  to  certain 
officers  who  were  to  be  taken  into  the  enterprise  and 
whose  commands  were  to  be  won  over  if  possible. 

"  Her  Majesty  can  surely  no  longer  doubt  my  good 
faith,"  said  Lafayette,  bitterly,  to  Calvert.  "  Success, 
death,  or  flight  is  all  that  is  left  to  me  now." 

347 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

With  these  letters  Calvert  proceeded  on  his  way 
to  Namur,  Givet,  and  Treves,  where  different  de- 
tachments of  Lafayette's  troops  were  garrisoned. 
He  was  made  welcome  at  every  mess-table,  and  his 
scheme  was  received  with  such  enthusiasm  that  it 
seemed  almost  an  unnecessary  precaution  to  cross  the 
frontier  and  seek  a  possible  asylum  for  the  Royal 
Family  in  case  the  great  plan  failed.  But  the  very 
enthusiasm  of  some  of  these  young  officers  caused 
Calvert  to  fear  for  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  So 
loud-tongued  were  they  in  their  loyalty,  with  such 
imprudence  did  they  drink  toasts  to  their  Majesties 
and  the  success  of  the  undertaking,  that  Calvert,  him- 
self so  calm  and  silent,  was  both  disgusted  and 
alarmed. 

With  the  enthusiastic  promise  of  allegiance  to  the 
plan  on  their  own  part  and  that  of  their  regiments, 
Calvert  quitted  the  society  of  these  officers,  and,  cer- 
tain of  the  hearty  co-operation  of  enough  troops  to 
make  the  safety  of  the  King  and  Queen  amply  assured, 
he  proceeded,  by  way  of  the  Mozelle,  to  Coblentz.  He 
arrived  at  that  city  on  the  26th  of  July,  and  was  im- 
mediately granted  an  interview  with  the  great  Prince- 
Elector  of  Treves,  but  recently  established  in  his 
splendid  new  palace  on  the  Rhine,  and  the  comman- 
der-in-chief  of  the  allied  army,  his  Grace  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick. 

Though  Calvert  had  journeyed  with  all  possible 
speed,  he  was  come  a  day  too  late,  and  he  heard 
with  inexpressible  alarm  and  chagrin  of  the  impru- 
dent manifesto  issued  by  the  Duke  but  the  day  be- 

348 


MR.    CALVERT   STARTS   ON   A  JOURNEY 

fore.  Surely  no  other  great  general  of  the  world 
ever  made  so  colossal,  so  fatal  a  blunder.  In  that 
arrogant  and  sanguinary  manifesto  could  be  heard 
the  death-knell  of  the  unhappy  King  of  France,  or  so 
it  seemed  to  Calvert,  who  was  so  deeply  impressed 
with  the  rashnes  and  danger  of  his  Grace's  diplomacy 
that  he  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  the  alarm  he  felt. 
This  open  disapproval  so  offended  the  Duke  and  his 
friend,  the  Prince-Elector,  that  the  latter  received  Cal- 
vert's  proposals  with  the  utmost  coldness,  and  would 
make  no  promise  to  receive  the  royal  fugitives  in 
case  it  became  necessary.  Perhaps,  too,  he  was  weary 
of  royal  guests.  Seeing  that  nothing  was  to  be  got 
from  the  Elector,  Calvert  hurried  on  to  Worms 
through  that  beautiful  Rhine  country  which  he  had 
once  traversed  so  leisurely  and  delightfully  with 
Mr.  Morris. 

There  he  found  Monsieur  le  Prince  de  Conde,  with 
whom  he  had  a  long  audience.  This  great  leader  of 
the  emigrant  forces,  being  apprised  of  Calvert's  em- 
bassy, approved  heartily  of  that  scheme  which  would 
make  the  King  openly  join  issue  with  his  nobles,  and 
sent  the  young  man  on  with  all  speed  to  Kehl  with 
secret  letters  for  Monsieur  de  Viomenil.  This  Gen- 
eral, under  Monsieur  de  Conde's  orders,  was  sta- 
tioned with  trusty  troops  from  Luckner's  command 
at  the  little  town  of  Kehl,  opposite  Strasburg,  and  was 
deep  in  secret  negotiations  with  officers  of  the  gar- 
rison for  the  capitulation  of  that  city  and  the  entry 
of  the  emigrant  army.  These  intrigues  had  been  go- 
ing on  for  some  time,  and  so  crafty  were  Viomenil's 

349 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

plans  (he  was  the  greatest  diplomat  the  emigres  could 
boast),  and  so  successful  was  Monsieur  de  Thesson- 
net,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Prince  de  Conde,  in  carrying 
them  out,  that  when  Calvert  arrived  at  head-quarters 
the  possession  of  Strasburg  by  the  emigrant  forces 
seemed  to  be  a  question  of  only  a  few  days.  'Twas  in 
this  belief  that  Monsieur  de  Conde  had  despatched 
Calvert  to  Monsieur  de  Viomenil,  who  joined  in  the 
enterprise  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm  and  confidence. 
So  assured  was  he  of  the  success  of  his  own  under- 
taking that  he  spoke  of  it  almost  as  if  'twere  already 
an  accomplished  triumph,  even  going  to  the  length  of 
showing  the  young  man  the  method  of  attack  and 
occupation  traced  upon  the  plan  of  the  city ;  at  this 
street  a  regiment  was  to  be  stationed;  at  that  gate  a 
body  of  cavalry  was  to  enter — as  though  he  were  mas- 
ter of  fate  and  naught  could  interfere  with  his  plans. 
So  confident  was  Viomenil,  and  so  impregnable  a  de- 
fence did  Strasburg  seem  to  offer  for  the  King  should 
misfortune  overtake  him,  that  Calvert  set  out  on  his 
journey  back  to  Maubeuge  the  following  day  buoyed 
up  with  the  belief  that  should  the  army  refuse  its  al- 
legiance and  support  the  King  would  find,  at  any  rate, 
a  safe  asylum  at  Strasburg.  But  already  Bruns- 
wick's ill-advised  manifesto  was  at  work  overthrow- 
ing these  well-laid  plans,  which  were  to  come  to 
nothing,  as  were  his  own,  unhappily,  though  for  a 
different  reason. 

At  Maubeuge,  where  he  arrived  on  the  ist  of  Au- 
gust, gloomy  forebodings  in  regard  to  the  disastrous 
effects  of  his  Grace  of  Brunswick's  manifesto  were 

350 


MR.    CALVERT   STARTS   ON   A  JOURNEY 

fully  shared  by  Lafayette  and  those  officers  commit- 
ted to  the  conspiracy.  Indeed,  Lafayette  was  in  the 
greatest  anxiety  and  dismay. 

"  We  must  force  our  hand,"  he  said  to  Calvert. 
"  There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose.  This  cursed,  im- 
prudent, vainglorious  mandate  of  Brunswick's  has 
set  the  whole  country  by  the  ears,  for  all  Paris  and 
the  army  believes,  aye,  knows,  that  the  King  had 
cognizance  of  it  before  it  was  issued.  The  Queen 
has  usually  been  the  double  dealer,  but  this  time  I  think 
they  have  both  had  a  hand  in  it,  although  these  let- 
ters from  your  wife,  which,  according  to  our  agree- 
ment, I  have  opened,  assure  us  that  their  Majesties 
are  still  of  a  mind  to  trust  to  the  issue  of  our  plan 
and  are  ready  to  make  the  trial  at  any  moment." 

"  What  success  have  you  had  with  the  army  ? " 
asked  Calvert. 

"  Much.  I  can  count  on  a  dozen  regiments — Sau- 
rel,  Marbois,  Pelletet,  and  their  commands  will  go 
with  me.  I  have  favorable  news,  too,  from  Namur 
and  Treves ;  but  there  is  no  more  time,  I  think,  to 
gain  over  others.  We  must  work  with  what  we  have. 
The  advices  from  Paris  make  it  plain  that  the  King 
is  all  but  lost,"  and  he  laid  before  Calvert  a  budget 
of  despatches  lately  arrived  by  couriers  from  the 
capital.  "  You  will  see  for  yourself  in  what  a  fer- 
ment the  city  is,  and  how  bitterly  hostile  is  the  atti- 
tude of  Assembly  and  people  to  the  King." 

"  And  what  do  you  hear  from  Beaufort,  Monciel, 
and  the  rest  who  are  working  with  the  members  of 
the  Assembly  ?  "  asked  Calvert,  who  had  heard  noth- 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

ing  on  his  long  journey,  though  he  had  kept  their 
Majesties  informed  of  his  own  movements. 

"  Here  is  Beaufort's  letter — it  reached  me  yester- 
day," replied  Lafayette.  "  He  reports  a  sufficient 
number  engaged  on  our  side  by  bribery  or  interest 
to  insure  the  King's  departure — only  it  must  be  in- 
stantly, instantly,  or  all  is  lost." 

"  Then  I  will  go  at  once  to  Paris,"  said  Calvert, 
"  and  report  all  ready  here,  and  the  great  step  must 
be  taken  if  it  is  ever  to  be." 

"  It  cannot  be  too  soon." 

"  And  have  you  made  all  arrangements  ?  " 

"  This  is  my  plan,"  says  the  General,  laying  a  mili- 
tary map  of  France  upon  the  table  before  Calvert. 

"  The  King  must  ask  permission  to  retire  to  Com- 
piegne  for  a  few  days — 'tis,  as  you  know,  one  of  his 
Majesty's  favorite  residences,  hence  the  request  will 
seem  natural.  Three  days  preceding  that  request 
(and  which,  I  think,  cannot  be  later  than  the  9th) 
I  will  order  several  of  the  most  loyal  regiments  un- 
der Saurel  and  Marbois  to  proceed  to  Laon  to  invest 
that  fortress.  I  will  march  with  these  troops  myself, 
and  at  La  Capelle,  which,  as  you  see,  is  about  six 
leagues  from  Compiegne,  will  order  them  to  proceed 
to  the  latter  point  instead  of  to  Laon.  The  King  will 
find  a  loyal  army  surrounding  his  chateau  of  Com- 
piegne when  he  arrives." 

"And  if  the  Assembly  refuses  to  let  him  leave 
Paris?" 

"  Then  he  and  the  Queen  on  that  same  evening 
must  escape  disguised — she  is  a  good  actress,  Ned, 

352 


MR.   CALVERT   STARTS   ON   A  JOURNEY 

and  did  not  play  Beaumarchais's  comedies  at  the  lit- 
tle Trianon  for  nothing;  the  King  will  have  more 
trouble — to  Courbevoie,  where  a  detachment  of  the 
Swiss  Guard  will  be  found  to  escort  their  Majesties 
to  Compiegne.  We  must  make  sure  of  Bachman,  who 
is,  I  think,  of  the  King's  cause,  and  must  have  his 
promise  to  detail  his  Guard  at  Courbevoie  and  hold 
them  in  readiness.  His  troops  will  be  strengthened 
by  a  regiment  under  Marbois,  which  will  push  on  from 
Compiegne  to  meet  them.  Should  all  go  well  and  his 
Majesty's  request  be  granted,  you  must  instantly  send 
an  aide-de-camp  to  intercept  Marbois  and  turn  him 
back  to  Compiegne.  Though  I  do  not  doubt  Bach- 
man's  loyalty,  'tis  well  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  so  that 
thou,  Ned,  and  Favernay,  and  other  of  the  King's 
friends  must  be  at  Courbevoie  to  aid  his  Majesty's 
flight  and  see  that  no  treachery  is  done.  We  must 
trust  Beaufort  to  accompany  the  King  to  the  As- 
sembly and  stay  beside  their  Majesties  to  see  that 
our  plans  do  not  miscarry  within  the  palace.  And 
now  what  dost  thou  think  of  the  great  enterprise  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  cannot  fail  of  success,  if  their  Majesties 
will  but  do  their  part,  and  that  they  will  at  last  appre- 
ciate the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  at  his  true  value," 
says  Calvert,  warmly. 

"  I  think  I  shall  get  small  credit  in  that  quarter," 
replies  Lafayette,  smiling  a  little  sarcastically.  "  Nor 
do  I  feel  that  I  deserve  much.  'Tis  to  thee  and  to 
Mr.  Morris  that  the  King's  gratitude  is  due,  and 
if  Louis  XVI  is  saved  from  his  enemies  it  will  be 
by  the  courage  and  generosity  of  two  American 

353 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

gentlemen,"  he  says,  very  nobly.  "  'Twas  Mr.  Mor- 
ris's shrewd  wit  which  first  set  the  enterprise  afoot, 
and  'tis  thy  coolness  and  bravery  which  has  car- 
ried it  so  far  on  its  way  to  success.  I  could  not 
have  moved  hand  or  foot  in  the  matter  without  you 
two." 

After  fixing  upon  the  9th  of  August  as  the  day 
on  which  his  Majesty  should  repair  to  the  Assembly 
to  make  his  request,  and  arranging  some  further  de- 
tails of  communication  between  the  army  at  Com- 
piegne  and  the  troops  at  Courbevoie,  Calvert,  in  spite 
of  his  fatigue  (he  had  ridden  for  two  days  and  the 
better  part  of  two  nights),  set  out  at  once  for  Paris, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  5th. 

As  he  feared,  he  found  the  city  in  a  state  of  the 
greatest  agitation.  The  different  sections  of  Paris 
had  demanded  the  dethronement  of  the  King,  and  the 
temper  of  the  people  was  so  hostile  toward  their 
ruler  that  his  Majesty's  friends  were  of  the  opinion 
that  their  plan  to  save  him  must  be  put  to  the  test 
instantly  or  all  would  be  lost.  Mr.  Calvert  met  those 
gentlemen  (there  were  five  in  all  besides  Calvert — 
Monciel,  Bremond,  Beaufort,  Favernay,  and  d'An- 
gremont)  at  Monsieur  de  Monciel's,  together  with 
Mr.  Morris,  who,  although  he  obeyed  the  letter  of 
the  law  he  had  laid  down  for  himself,  could  not,  to 
save  his  life,  refrain  from  being  a  spectator,  if  a  silent 
one,  at  those  deliberations  in  which  he  was  so  pro- 
foundly interested.  'Twas  agreed  by  these  gentle- 
men, who  were  all  impatient  of  any  delay,  that  the 
date,  the  Qth,  set  by  Lafayette,  should  be  adopted 

354 


MR.   CALVERT  STARTS   ON   A  JOURNEY 

for  the  trial  of  the  great  enterprise,  and  Monsieur 
de  Favernay  was  instantly  despatched  to  the  frontier 
to  acquaint  him  of  this  decision.  Beaufort  and 
d'Angremont,  who  had  knowledge  of  all  that  passed 
within  the  palace,  were  to  prepare  the  King's  ad- 
dress to  the  Assembly  and  to  urge  upon  their  Maj- 
esties the  necessity  of  the  speedy  trial  of  that  plan 
to  which  they  had  committed  themselves.  This  was 
no  easy  business,  for,  since  the  unfortunate  flight  to 
Varennes,  both  the  King  and  the  Queen  hesitated 
to  trust  themselves  to  their  friends  or  to  take  any 
step,  the  failure  of  which  would  but  add  to  the  mis- 
fortunes they  already  had  to  bear. 

Bremond  and  Monciel  were  to  renew  their  efforts 
to  insure  the  King's  departure  by  the  Assembly  and 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure  in  that  quarter;  while 
as  for  Calvert,  he  was  to  sound  Bachman,  gain  his 
allegiance  to  the  King's  cause,  and  engage  him  to 
detain  his  Swiss  Guard  at  Courbevoie  to  aid  the  King's 
flight  should  it  be  necessary. 

With  these  arrangements  fully  agreed  upon,  the 
gentlemen  separated,  Calvert  going  to  the  Legation 
for  a  talk  with  Mr.  Morris  (though  he  would  not  stop 
there  for  fear  of  compromising  him  should  the  enter- 
prise bring  him  into  peril)  and  then  to  the  guard- 
room of  the  palace,  where  he  found  the  captain  of 
the  Swiss  troop.  'Twas  easy  enough  to  engage 
Bachman  in  Calvert's  plan,  for  he  was  already  devoted 
to  the  royal  cause,  and  his  troops  would  follow  him 
wherever  he  led.  He  entered  enthusiastically  into  the 
hazardous  scheme,  agreeing  to  detail  certain  regiments 

355 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

at  Courbevoie  under  his  own  command  on  the  evening 
of  the  Qth  of  August  to  act  as  an  escort  for  their 
Majesties  as  far  as  Compiegne  if  necessary. 

When  this  affair  was  satisfactorily  settled  and  re- 
ported to  the  other  conspirators  for  the  King's  safety, 
Calvert  made  his  way  to  the  hotel  in  the  rue  Riche- 
lieu, at  which  he  had  stayed  with  Mr.  Morris,  and 
sought  the  first  repose  he  had  known  for  nearly  fifty- 
six  hours. 

During  the  days  of  the  6th,  7th,  and  8th  of  Au- 
gust, Mr.  Calvert  and  those  other  devoted  friends  of 
the  King  who  were  plotting  for  his  safety  were  kept 
in  the  greatest  state  of  alarm  by  the  wildest  and  most 
sanguinary  rumors  of  conspiracies  to  storm  the  palace 
and  murder  the  Royal  Family.  'Twas  only  too  evi- 
dent that  the  temper  of  the  mob  could  not  be  counted 
on  from  one  hour  to  the  next,  and  that  the  King  must 
be  got  out  of  Paris  at  all  hazards.  No  step  could  be 
taken  until  the  Qth,  however,  when  Lafayette  would 
be  at  Compiegne,  and,  in  the  meantime,  those  gen- 
tlemen engaged  in  the  service  of  his  Majesty  were 
busy  trying  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  King's  re- 
moval from  the  capital.  The  sums  of  money  which 
were  continually  brought  to  Mr.  Morris  by  Monciel, 
Bremond,  and  others  were  expended  in  bribing 
those  who  might  stand  in  the  way  of  the  King's 
departure  or  else  invested  by  him  for  the  future  use 
of  their  Majesties,  a  rigid  account  of  all  of  which 
was  given  by  Mr.  Morris  to  the  young  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  when  he  had  audience  with  her  Royal 
Highness  at  Vienna,  years  after,  and  when  the  tragedy 

356 


MR.   CALVERT  STARTS   ON   A  JOURNEY 

which  he  had  so  ardently  tried  to  avert  had  been  con- 
summated. Memoires  and  addresses  for  the  King 
were  hastily  drawn  up  by  Calvert,  Monciel,  and  Beau- 
fort, assisted  by  Mr.  Morris,  who,  in  the  terrible  ex- 
citement and  danger  of  those  last  two  days  preceding 
the  final  step,  threw  prudence  to  the  winds  and  lent 
his  aid  morning  and  night  to  the  enterprise. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  Favernay  re- 
turned, worn  by  the  fatigue  of  his  long  and  rapid 
journey,  with  the  news  that  Lafayette  was  on  the 
march;  that  the  troops  would  reach  Compiegne  by 
afternoon,  and  that  he  had  left  them  at  La  Capelle. 
All  being  thus  in  readiness  outside  of  the  city,  word 
was  borne  to  his  Majesty  by  Calvert  in  a  secret  inter- 
view, and  after  some  persuasion,  and  the  address  to 
the  legislators,  prepared  by  Mr.  Morris,  being  pre- 
sented to  his  Majesty,  he  agreed  to  repair  to  the 
Assembly  at  six  in  the  evening  to  make  his  request 
to  be  allowed  to  retire  to  Compiegne  for  a  few  days. 
In  the  early  afternoon,  and  after  every  precaution 
possible  had  been  taken  to  insure  the  success  of  the 
undertaking,  Calvert,  Bremond,  and  Favernay  left 
the  city,  by  different  routes,  for  Courbevoie,  agreeing 
to  meet  there  at  the  caserne  of  the  Swiss  Guard  to 
await  the  issue  of  the  King's  appeal  to  the  Assembly 
and  be  ready  to  escort  his  Majesty  by  force,  if  nec- 
essary, to  Compiegne,  while  Mr.  Morris,  deeming  it 
best  not  to  appear  at  the  Assembly,  remained  at  the 
Legation,  anxiously  waiting  for  news  of  the  success 
or  failure  of  the  plan. 

357 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

WITHIN  THE  PALACE 

THE  arrival  of  Calvert  at  the  chateau  with  his  mes- 
sage that  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  taking  of  the 
final  step,  the  decision  for  instant  action  thus  forced 
upon  his  Majesty,  and  the  excitement  pervading  the 
whole  city,  threw  the  King  and  Queen  and  those  few 
about  them  who  were  in  the  secret  into  the  greatest 
agitation.  Her  Majesty,  especially,  was  in  the  cruel- 
lest apprehension,  and,  dismissing  her  other  attend- 
ants, kept  only  Adrienne  with  her  during  that  weary 
day,  which,  it  seemed,  would  never  end.  She  was 
the  only  soul  the  Queen  could  confide  in,  and  the 
two  frightened  women  clung  to  each  other,  waiting 
in  terror  for  the  issue  of  that  day's  great  business. 
A  hundred  times  did  her  Majesty  change  her  mind 
about  the  expediency  of  risking  further  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Assembly  and  the  people  by  this 
request  to  leave  the  capital;  a  hundred  times  did  she 
revert  to  her  former  purpose  of  waiting  for  and  trust- 
ing in  the  allies  whose  approach  was  now  so  near.  It 
took  all  of  Adrienne's  courage  and  persuasiveness 
to  bring  the  Queen  back  to  her  purpose  of  adhering 
to  the  enterprise  afoot;  she  found  herself  arguing 
passionately  in  behalf  of  Calvert,  and  at  length  suc- 
ceeded in  again  imbuing  the  Queen's  mind  with  that 

358 


WITHIN  THE  PALACE 

faith  in  him  which  she  herself  had.  'Twas  curious 
how  that  old  trust  she  had  felt  and  acknowledged  long 
before  she  had  loved  him  animated  her  now,  mingled 
with  a  pride  in  him,  a  passionate  devotion,  which  she 
had  thought  never  to  experience.  As  for  the  King, 
she  saw  but  little  of  him,  for  he  was  either  closeted 
with  his  ministers  or  else  sat  alone,  silent  and  apa- 
thetic, as  if  in  resignation  of  that  fate  thrust  upon 
him. 

Toward  seven  o'clock  Beaufort  and  d'Angremont 
were  admitted,  and,  shortly  after,  his  Majesty  pre- 
pared to  go  with  them  to  the  Assembly.  During  the 
two  hours  which  followed,  a  thousand  hopes  and  fears 
agitated  the  two  women  left  alone  in  a  private  cham- 
ber of  the  Queen's  apartments.  Her  Majesty,  unable 
to  remain  quiet,  paced  the  room  in  the  cruellest  ap- 
prehension. At  exactly  nine  the  King  entered,  pale 
and  alarmed-looking,  and  attended  only  by  Beaufort. 
At  sight  of  him  the  Queen  arose  and  went  to  him 
with  a  little  cry. 

"  They  have  refused — all  is  lost,"  says  His  Majesty, 
in  a  hollow  voice. 

"  Impossible ! "  she  exclaims,  looking  from  the 
King  to  Beaufort,  who  stood  by,  deathly  pale,  also. 

"  It  is  only  too  true,  your  Majesty,"  says  Beau- 
fort, for  the  King  seemed  incapable  of  speech.  "  In 
spite  of  the  enormous  bribes  offered  and  received,  in 
spite  of  promises,  in  spite  of  his  Majesty's  address, 
which  should  have  mollified  all  parties  and  inspired 
confidence,  the  temper  of  the  Assembly,  which  had 
appeared  favorable  to  his  Majesty,  suddenly  changed 

359 


CALVERT    OF   STRATHORE 

and  an  outrageous  scene  took  place ;  humiliations  and 
insults  and  threats  were  heaped  upon  his  Majesty, 
who  retired  as  speedily  as  possible.  D'Angremont 
was  arrested  as  we  left  the  Assembly,  which  has  re- 
fused to  allow  the  departure  of  your  Majesties,  and 
there  remains  nothing  but  to  try  the  last  expedient." 

The  Queen  stood  gazing  at  the  King  and  Beau- 
fort, anger  and  despair  written  on  every  feature.  Her 
eyes  blazed,  and  into  the  lately  colorless  cheeks  a  deep 
crimson  sprang. 

"  Impossible,"  she  says  again.  "  The  traitors ! 
To  betray  us  at  every  turn!  Surely  there  is  no  one 
so  friendless  as  the  King  and  Queen  of  France !  And 
shall  we  trust  ourselves  again  to  flight?  Oh,  the 
horrors  of  that  last  ride !  "  She  shuddered  and  sank 
into  a  chair.  Adrienne  knelt  beside  the  despairing 
woman. 

"  All  is  ready — your  Majesties  have  but  to  follow 
the  instructions — to  don  the  disguises  prepared — once 
at  Courbevoie  all  is  secure,"  she  says,  speaking  with 
the  greatest  energy  and  confidence  and  clasping  the 
Queen's  hand  in  her  own. 

Suddenly  her  Majesty  started  up.  "  Never — 
never !  "  she  bursts  out,  beginning  to  pace  up  and 
down  the  small  chamber.  "  Never  will  I  again  go 
through  with  the  humiliation  of  flight  and  capture. 
Better  death  or  imprisonment  at  the  hands  of  this 
ungrateful,  mad  people !  " 

"  But,  your  Majesty — "  says  Beaufort,  beginning 
to  speak,  but  the  Queen  interrupted  him. 

"  I  know  what  you  would  tell  me,  Beaufort,"  she 
360 


WITHIN  THE  PALACE 

stopped  and  spoke  imperiously — "  that  this  scheme 
is  the  best  possible  one,  the  only  one,  perhaps ; 
that  in  this  enterprise  lies  our  only  safety,  but  I  can- 
not believe  it !  A  thousand  times  would  I  rather 
trust  myself  to  the  allies !  "  she  said,  beginning  to 
pace  the  floor  again. 

"  I  think  'tis  not  that  alone  which  Monsieur  de 
Beaufort  would  tell  your  Majesty,"  said  Adrienne, 
rising  from  beside  the  chair  where  the  Queen  had 
been  sitting.  She  stood  straight  and  tall  before  the 
desperate  Queen  and  spoke  rapidly.  "  He  would  say, 
also,  that  there  is  a  handful  of  brave  gentlemen  who 
have  risked  their  lives  to  serve  your  Majesties,  who 
are  waiting  now  but  a  few  miles  away  and  the  further 
opportunity  of  serving  you.  Every  moment  adds  to 
their  peril.  Should  your  Majesties  fail  them,  what 
will  become  of  them  ?  "  She  threw  out  her  hands 
with  an  appealing  gesture. 

'  'Tis  true,"  murmured  the  King.  "  It  must  not  be 
said  that  we  sacrificed  the  last  of  our  friends,"  he 
said,  smiling  a  little  bitterly  and  looking  at  the  Queen, 
who  continued  to  pace  the  little  room  in  the  cruellest 
agitation. 

"  I  pray  your  Majesties  not  to  think  of  us,"  said 
Beaufort.  "  Your  devoted  friends  and  servants  think 
only  of  what  is  best  for  your  Majesties.  Tis  their 
opinion,  as  well  as  my  own,  that  there  is  nothing  left 
but  flight." 

"  Never,  never !  "  exclaimed  the  Queen,  with  in- 
creasing firmness. 

"  But  think  of  the  danger  of  remaining  in  Paris !  " 
361 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

urged  Beaufort.  "  We  know  not  at  what  moment 
this  insurrection  prepared  by  the  Jacobins  may  burst 
out,  we  know  not  at  what  moment  this  palace  and 
the  sacred  persons  of  your  Majesties  may  be  at  the 
mercy  of  an  infuriated,  insensate  mob." 

"  Let  them  come — these  dangers — these  horrors," 
says  the  Queen,  intrepidly ;  "  they  will  bring  Bruns- 
wick and  the  allies  that  much  sooner  to  this  Paris 
which  I  will  not  leave  until  they  enter  it."  She 
stamped  her  foot  upon  the  velvet  carpet  and  clinched 
her  white  hands  at  her  sides. 

"  Then  your  Majesty  is  resolved  to  give  up  the 
enterprise  she  has  promised  to  support,  to  abandon 
those  loyal  servants  who  have  depended  upon  her  and 
his  Majesty  the  King?"  asks  Adrienne,  looking  at 
the  Queen,  her  face  pale  as  marble  and  her  eyes  burn- 
ing with  indignation. 

"  Does  Madame  Calvert  permit  herself  to  question 
our  actions  ? "  says  the  Queen,  turning  imperiously 
upon  her.  Suddenly  her  beautiful  eyes  filled  with 
tears.  "  Forgive  me — you  are  right,"  she  says.  "  Tis 
our  fate — our  wretched  fate — to  seem  to  abandon  and 
injure  all  who  are  brought  near  us,  all  who  attempt 
to  serve  us.  We  cannot  help  ourselves — even  now 
we  must  break  our  faith  with  these  loyal  friends, 
for  now  I  see  that  after  the  refusal  of  the  Assembly 
to  allow  us  to  leave  Paris,  'twere  madness  to  attempt 
to  go.  We  would  but  increase  the  danger,  the  humil- 
iation we  already  have  to  endure.  The  only  wise 
course  is  to  await  Brunswick  and  the  allies.  I  see 
now  the  folly  of  this  plan  of  escape — indeed,  I  was 

362 


WITHIN  THE  PALACE 

never  fully  persuaded  of  its  wisdom.  The  confidence 
I  felt  in  this  young  American — his  devotion  to  us  and 
that  of  those  other  friends — blinded  me  to  the  dangers 
and  difficulties  of  the  undertaking." 

"And  the  King?"  asks  Adrienne,  turning  from 
the  Queen  to  his  Majesty,  who  sat  by,  indecision  and 
weariness  and  timidity  written  on  all  his  heavy  feat- 
ures. 

"  We  dare  not,"  he  says,  at  length,  apathetically. 
"  The  Queen  is  right — after  the  refusal  by  the  Assem- 
bly to  allow  us  to  depart,  after  this  new  humiliation, 
it  were  worse  than  folly  to  think  of  escaping.  We 
are  surrounded  by  spies — treachery  is  within  these 
very  walls — how  can  we  hope  to  get  away?  It  is 
best  to  await  our  doom  quietly  here.  What  think 
you,  Beaufort  ?  "  he  asks. 

"  I  implore  your  Majesty  to  make  the  effort,"  says 
Beaufort.  "  Once  outside  Paris,  the  Swiss  Guards 
await  you,  Lafayette  with  his  loyal  regiments  is  even 
now  at  Compiegne " 

"  Lafayette  at  Compiegne  ? — who  knows  ?  "  says 
the  Queen,  gloomily,  interrupting  Beaufort  again. 
"  Monsieur  de  Lafayette  hath  betrayed  us  before  and 
may  do  so  again.  I  trust  him  not !  To  know  that  he 
has  a  share  in  this  enterprise  is  to  make  me  fear  to 
pursue  it !  No,  no,"  she  goes  on,  shuddering  and  turn- 
ing away.  "  St.  Cloud  and  the  5th  of  October  are 
too  well  remembered.  I  should  have  thought  of  all 
this  before,"  she  says,  striking  her  hands  together 
in  an  agony  of  doubt  and  despair.  "  It  is  too  late 
now." 

363 


CALVERT    OF    STRATHORE 

"  And  who  will  tell  these  gentlemen  waiting  at 
Courbevoie,  and  the  regiments  advancing  from  Com- 
piegne  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  of  this  sudden  change 
in  your  Majesties'  plans?  Should  Monsieur  d'An- 
gremont  be  induced  to  divulge  their  names  they  will 
inevitably  be  lost — their  only  hope  is  in  immediate 
flight,"  says  Adrienne,  looking  from  the  King,  sunk 
in  resigned  silence,  to  the  frantic,  hapless  Queen,  and 
back  again. 

"Who  but  myself,  Madame?"  said  Beaufort,  ad- 
vancing. "  And  if  your  Majesties  are  fully  deter- 
mined to  go  no  further  in  this  business,  I  will  ask  leave 
to  withdraw  and  set  out  for  Courbevoie  at  once. 
Every  moment  is  precious,  and  an  hour's  delay  may 
mean  the  loss  of  many  lives." 

"  No,  no,  Beaufort,  I  cannot  let  you  go,"  cried  the 
King,  starting  up.  "  Nom  de  Dieu,  I  forbid  you ! 
— d'Angremont  is  taken  from  me — there  is  no  one  in 
whom  I  can  confide  or  trust — we  must  send  another," 
he  went  on,  incoherently,  and  raising  his  hand  as  if  to 
check  Beaufort's  departure. 

For  an  instant  the  Queen  swept  him  a  glance  of 
disdain.  'Twas  not  timidity  that  made  her  falter. 
She  could  not  understand  the  physical  weakness  of 
the  King;  with  her  the  abandonment  of  the  great  un- 
dertaking was  a  matter  of  expediency,  not  of  fear,  and 
she  deserted  her  friends  as  relentlessly  from  interest 
as  he  did  from  cowardice. 

"  There  is  no  one,  your  Majesty — no  one  whom 
we  can  send.  Tis  too  late  to  trust  others  with  this 
great  secret " 

364 


"  Then  I  will  go,"  said  Adrienne,  suddenly  step- 
ping forward.  "  Send  me — I  am  in  the  secret,  I  can 
be  trusted!  I  can  put  on  the  disguise  intended  for 
your  Majesty  and  go."  She  turned  to  the  Queen 
and  spoke  eagerly  and  rapidly.  "  I  fear  nothing. 
Let  me  go,  let  me  go !  "  She  dropped  on  her  knees 
before  the  Queen.  "  I  must  go — I  must,"  she  said, 
wildly. 

"  Is  there  no  other?  "  asked  the  Queen,  turning  to 
Beaufort.  "  Surely  we  are  not  so  destitute  of  friends 
that  we  must  send  this  girl  upon  such  a  dangerous 
mission !  "  she  said,  sorrowfully. 

"  I  implore  your  Majesty  to  let  me  go,"  said 
Adrienne,  once  more.  "  'Tis  a  service  I  would  do 
myself  as  well  as  your  Majesty,"  she  went  on,  her 
white  face  suddenly  covered  with  a  burning  blush. 

The  Queen  looked  at  her  keenly  for  a  moment,  and 
then  she  put  out  her  hand  with  a  sad,  comprehending 
smile.  "  You  may  go,"  she  said. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE   TENTH    OF   AUGUST 

ACCORDING  to  agreement,  Bremond  sped  instantly 
from  the  Assembly  to  Courbevoie  with  news  of  the 
fresh  humiliation  put  upon  the  King  and  the  out- 
rageous scene  which  had  taken  place.  He  found  Cal- 
vert,  Monciel,  Favernay,  Bachman,  and  several  of- 
ficers of  the  Swiss  Guard,  upon  whose  loyalty  they 
could  depend,  assembled  in  a  room  of  the  officers' 
quarters  of  the  barracks,  anxiously  awaiting  the  issue 
of  the  day's  events.  He  told  his  news  amid  a  dead 
silence,  broken  only  now  and  then  by  an  exclamation 
of  indignation  or  disappointment  from  one  of  the 
listeners.  When  he  had  finished  speaking,  Calvert 
turned  to  the  little  group,  "  Then,  gentlemen,"  he  says, 
"  pursuant  to  the  plan,  the  King's  request  having  been 
denied,  we  may  expect  their  Majesties  here  before 
ten,  and  shall  have  the  honor  of  guarding  them  to 
Compiegne." 

As  he  looked  around  upon  the  little  company,  there 
was  not  a  face  but  expressed  some  secret  doubt  and 
misgiving.  The  King's  timidity  and  vacillation  were 
so  well  known  that  'twas  impossible  not  to  question 
his  good  faith  even  in  this  last  extremity.  As  ten 
o'clock  passed  and  eleven  and  no  message  or  sign  of 
the  royal  fugitives  came  to  the  anxious,  impatient 
366 


THE  TENTH  OF  AUGUST 

watchers,  those  secret  doubts  and  misgivings  began 
to  be  openly  expressed. 

"  'Tis  the  Austrian  who  has  kept  him,  I  will  bet 
a  hundred  louis,"  said  one  of  the  Guard's  officers, 
gloomily.  "  I  never  believed  she  would  keep  faith 
with  us — she  is  too  deeply  committed  to  Brunswick — 
nor  will  she  let  the  King  do  so."  Even  while  he  spoke 
there  was  a  sound  of  someone's  running  hurriedly  up 
the  stairs — they  were  assembled  in  an  upper  room — 
and  in  an  instant  an  orderly  was  hammering  at  the 
door,  which  was  flung  open  by  Monciel. 

"  A  messenger  for  Monsieur  Calvert,"  he  says,  sa- 
luting. 

Calvert  followed  the  man  hastily  down  the  steps 
to  where  a  figure  waited  for  him  which  made  him 
start  back  with  an  exclamation  of  surprise  and  con- 
sternation. 

Adrienne — for  it  was  she — came  forward,  taking 
off  the  cap  pulled  over  her  eyes  and  letting  fall  the 
great  cloak  with  which  she  had  enveloped  herself  in 
spite  of  the  intense  heat,  and  appearing  in  the  out- 
rider's livery  which  was  to  have  been  the  Queen's 
disguise. 

"  C'est  moi,"  she  says,  hurriedly,  and  putting  a 
finger  to  her  lips,  "  and  I  am  come  to  tell  you  that 
their  Majesties  have  failed  you — have  abandoned  the 
plan — and  to  implore  you  to  escape  while  there  is 
time."  She  stood  straight  and  tall  in  her  boy's  clothes, 
but  the  dim  light,  falling  upon  her  upturned  face, 
showed  it  pale  as  death,  and  her  voice  trembled  as 
she  spoke. 

367 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

"  You  are  come  to  tell  me  this  ? "  says  Calvert, 
slowly,  still  staring  at  her  as  though  scarce  able  to 
believe  his  senses.  "  And  where  is  Beaufort  ?  " 

"  The  King  refused  to  let  him  go ;  he  is  with  his 
Majesty,"  she  says,  breathlessly — "  d'Angremont  is 
taken — 'tis  reported  that  the  palace  is  to  be  attacked 
to-night.  The  King  and  Queen  will  not  come — the 
King  is  afraid  to  attempt  the  escape,  and  the  Queen 
will  rely  on  no  one  save  the  allies — we  implored  them 
in  vain  to  come  but  they  refused — they  have  failed 
you — save  yourselves !  "  She  leaned  heavily  against 
the  door. 

"  It  is  quite  certain  ? — they  will  not  come  ?  "  asked 
Calvert.  Adrienne  shook  her  head. 

"  Then  wait — come  in  here,"  he  said,  drawing  her 
into  a  little  anteroom.  He  ran  back  up  the  stairs  and 
burst  into  the  room  he  had  just  left,  with  an  impreca- 
tion. 

"  Their  Majesties  have  flashed  in  the  pan,"  he  said 
to  the  gentlemen  who  crowded  about  him.  "  'Tis 
no  use  to  wait  longer.  D'Angremont  is  taken.  You, 
Monciel  and  Favernay,  set  out  instantly  to  inter- 
cept Marbois's  regiment  and  turn  it  back  to  Com- 
piegne.  You  will  go  back  with  the  troops  and  report 
to  General  de  Lafayette  what  has  happened.  As  for 
you,  gentlemen,"  he  says  to  the  officers  of  the  Guard, 
"  not  being  needed  here  longer,  you  had  best  lead  your 
men  back  with  all  speed  to  Paris  to  guard  the  palace. 
The  attack  is  for  to-night." 

Almost  before  he  had  finished  speaking  the  little 
company  had  vanished  which  it  had  taken  such 

368 


THE  TENTH  OF  AUGUST 

secrecy  and  courage  and  fidelity  to  call  together;  the 
great  plan  was  overthrown  which  had  taken  such 
daring  and  patience  and  wealth  to  set  afoot.  Timidity 
and  bad  faith  had,  in  a  moment,  destroyed  what  had 
taken  so  many  weeks  to  build  up,  and  for  the  future 
calamities  the  King  and  Queen  of  France  were  to 
bear,  they  had  only  themselves  to  thank. 

Calvert  ran  down  the  stairs  again  quickly  to  the 
anteroom,  where  the  boyish  figure  in  the  long  cloak 
awaited  him. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  briefly,  and,  ordering  a  fresh 
horse  for  the  rider,  whose  mount  was  weary,  almost 
without  a  word  the  two  galloped  back  together  un- 
der the  fading  stars  to  the  city  of  tumult  and  horror 
and  crime.  And  as  they  raced  forward  in  silence,  a 
thousand  hopes  and  fears  crowded  in  upon  Calvert's 
mind,  but  he  put  them  steadily  from  him,  trying  to 
think  but  of  the  King  and  Queen  and  if  there  might 
yet  be  help  for  them  or  service  to  render.  Only  as 
he  looked  at  the  pale  face  beside  him,  at  the  blue  eyes, 
tired  and  strained  now,  a  mad  wonder  would  steal 
over  him  that  she  had  done  this  thing.  And  with 
this  wonder  tugging  at  his  heart  and  brain  they 
pressed  onward  with  all  speed.  They  entered  Paris 
as  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  were  beginning  to  redden 
the  sky,  and  in  this  rosy  morning  glow  the  haggard 
faces  of  the  multitudes  of  men  and  women  pacing 
the  streets — for  who  could  sleep  during  that  awful 
night  ? — looked  more  haggard  and  wretched  than  ever 
before.  Bands  of  armed  ruffians  marched  through 
the  streets  from  all  sections  of  the  city.  'Twas  plain 

369 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

that  some  movement  of  importance  was  going  for- 
ward. 

The  two  riders  made  their  way  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible past  the  Place  du  Carrousel,  where  Calvert  could 
see  the  faithful  Swiss  regiment  at  their  post,  over  the 
Pont  Royal  and  so  to  the  Faubourg  St.  Germain  and 
the  American  Legation. 

"  Mr.  Morris's  house  is  the  only  safe  place  in  all  this 
mad  city,  I  think,"  he  said  to  Adrienne.  "  I  will  leave 
you  in  his  care  while  I  go  and  see  what  has  befallen 
the  King  and  Queen." 

Early  as  was  the  hour,  the  Legation  was  all  astir, 
and  Mr.  Morris  himself  came  out  to  meet  Calvert 
and  Adrienne  as  they  dismounted.  He  had  not  been 
to  bed  during  the  night  and  looked  harassed  and 
weary.  He  drew  them  into  the  house,  where  they 
found  a  large  company  assembled.  Madame  de  Mont- 
morin  was  there,  agony  and  terror  written  on  her 
pallid  face;  the  old  Count  d'Estaing,  who  had  fought 
so  gallantly  in  America;  Dillon,  Madame  de  Flahaut, 
and  a  dozen  others,  who  had  taken  refuge  with  the 
American  Minister  during  that  terrible  night. 

"  You  see !  "  said  Mr.  Morris,  in  a  low  tone,  to  Cal- 
vert, and  indicating  the  little  group.  "  They  have 
fled  for  protection  here,  but  God  knows  whether  even 
this  spot  will  afford  them  safety!  I  call  you  to  wit- 
ness, Calvert,  that  if  my  protection  of  these  persons 
should  become  a  matter  of  reproach  to  me  here,  or 
at  home  (and  I  have  reason  to  expect  it  will,  from 
what  I  have  already  experienced),  I  call  you  to  wit- 
ness that  I  have  not  violated  the  neutrality  of  this 

370 


THE  TENTH  OF  AUGUST 

place  by  inviting  them  here,  but  I  will  never  put  them 
out  now  that  they  are  here,  let  the  consequences  be 
what  they  may !  " 

"  Who  could  believe  that  you  could  act  in  any  other 
way !  "  said  Calvert,  warmly,  touched  by  the  nobility 
and  earnestness  of  Mr.  Morris's  manner,  very  differ- 
ent from  his  usual  cynical  one.  "  And  I  am  come  to 
put  another  in  your  charge  until  the  Queen  sends  for 
her,"  he  went  on.  "  She  has  ridden  through  this 
terrible  night — God  knows  how — to  give  us  warning 
that  the  King  and  Queen  have  abandoned  us  and  the 
great  plan  and  have  chosen  to  remain  at  the  palace.  I 
must  go  to  the  Tuileries  and  find  out  what  has  be- 
fallen their  Majesties  and  then  I  will  return." 

"  I  know  all,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  bitterly.  "  I 
scarcely  dared  to  hope  that  their  Majesties  would 
stand  by  us  or  their  promises.  'Tis  as  I  thought,  my 
boy.  Sacrifices  and  devotion,  time  and  money  have  all 
been  wasted  in  their  behalf.  So  be  it !  I  think  no 
power  can  save  them  now.  You  have  bravely  done 
your  share.  Let  this  end  it.  And  it  were  best  that 
you  should  leave  Paris  at  once.  D'Angremont  has 
died  nobly  without  revealing  our  secrets — he  was 
murdered  within  two  hours  of  his  capture — but  this 
is  no  safe  place  for  you.  Go  to  the  Tuileries,  if  you 
will,  but  return  to  me  as  soon  as  possible.  You  have 
lost  at  the  palace,  but  I  think  there  is  a  reward  wait- 
ing for  you  here  at  the  Legation,"  he  says,  smiling  a 
little  and  turning  away. 

Scarcely  had  Calvert  left  the  Legation  when  he 
heard  the  alarm  from  the  great  bell  of  St.  Germain 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

1'Auxerrois — that  fatal  bell  which  had  rung  in  the 
Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  two  hundred  and  twenty 
years  before — and  almost  immediately  after  there  came 
the  sounds  of  musketry  and  cannonading  from  the 
direction  of  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries.  The  attack 
had  already  begun,  and  Calvert  thought  with  a  thrill 
of  horror  of  the  fate  that  awaited  Beaufort  and  those 
other  loyal  servants  of  their  Majesties  within  the 
palace. 

The  fearful  drama  of  that  day  is  too  well  known 
to  need  repeating.  On  that  day  Louis  XVI  of  France 
passed  from  history  and  the  revolution  was  con- 
summated. By  the  time  Calvert  had  reached  the 
Quai  opposite  the  Louvre  the  battle  was  begun,  the 
mob  was  forcing  its  way  past  the  scattered  National 
Guard,  whose  commander  lay  murdered  on  the  steps 
of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  past  the  stanch,  true  Swiss 
Guard,  who,  left  without  orders,  stood,  martyrs  at 
their  posts,  ne  sacramenti  fidem  fallerent,  through  the 
Carrousel  up  to  the  very  palace  itself.  There,  sur- 
rounded by  seven  hundred  loyal  gentlemen,  whom  he 
was  to  abandon  as  he  had  abandoned  all  his  friends 
and  servants,  the  King  awaited  his  doom  in  apa- 
thetic resignation.  It  was  impossible  to  reach  his 
Majesty  or  to  do  aught  for  him,  and  Calvert  could 
only  look  on  from  afar.  There  was  no  place  in  that 
fearful  scene  for  an  American.  The  French  at  last 
knew  their  power,  had  at  last  got  the  bit  between  their 
teeth,  and  no  outside  interference  could  stay  that 
fearful  pace.  The  mob  surged  about  Calvert,  in- 
creased every  instant  by  fresh  additions  from  the  low- 

372 


THE  TENTH  OF  AUGUST 

est  quarters  of  the  city,  reinforced  by  deputations  from 
the  provinces.  The  firing  from  without  grew  quicker 
and  quicker;  from  within  fainter  and  less  frequent, 
as  those  devoted  servants  of  the  King  were  shot 
down,  until  finally  there  was  silence  within  the  palace 
.and  the  scarlet  of  the  Swiss  could  be  seen  scattered 
and  fleeing  in  every  direction  as  the  armed  and  trium- 
phant mob  pushed  its  way  forward.  Looking  into 
the  mad  whirlwind  of  faces,  Calvert  saw  the  great, 
disfigured  head,  the  massive  shoulders  of  Danton. 
(but  just  come,  on  that  fearful  morning,  to  the  ful- 
ness of  his  infamy  and  power),  followed  by  Bertrand, 
battling  his  way  beside  his  great  leader. 

"  And  'twas  for  this  I  saved  him !  "  said  Calvert  to 
himself.  "  Truly  the  ways  and  ends  of  Providence 
are  inscrutable !  " 

He  watched  the  terrible  scene  a  long  while,  and 
then,  seeing  that  he  was  powerless  to  aid  those 
in  the  palace,  he  made  his  way  back  to  the  Legation 
with  a  beating  heart.  The  great  disappointment  the 
night  had  brought,  the  failure  of  all  those  plans  in 
which  he  had  been  so  profoundly  interested  and  for 
which  he  had  hazarded  so  much,  even  the  peril  of  the 
King  and  Queen,  faded  from  before  his  mind  as  he 
thought  of  Adrienne  and  asked  himself  why  she  had 
risked  her  life  to  come  to  him.  He  saw  her  still 
galloping  by  his  side,  her  face  pale  in  the  light  of  the 
full  August  moon,  her  dusky  hair  blown  backward, 
the  strange,  inscrutable  expression  in  her  eyes. 

She  was  not  with  the  rest  of  the  little  company 
when  Calvert  once  more  entered  the  Legation.  He 

373 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

found  her  in  an  upper  chamber,  where  she  stood  alone 
beside  an  open  window,  looking  out  on  the  agitation 
and  tumult  of  the  city  below.  She  had  doffed  her 
travel-stained  boy's  clothes  and  now  wore  a  dress, 
which  Madame  de  Montmorin  had  offered  her,  of 
some  soft  black  stuff  that  fell  in  heavy  folds  about 
her  slender  young  figure.  As  he  entered  she  turned, 
hearing  the  sound,  and  their  eyes  met.  He  stood 
silent,  trying  to  fathom  the  strange  look  on  that  pale 
face.  It  was  the  same  beautiful  face  that  he  had 
seen  in  pictured  loveliness  that  last  night  at  Monticello, 
the  same  that  he  had  seen  in  reality  for  the  first  time 
at  Mr.  Jefferson's  levee  at  the  Legation,  and  yet  how 
changed!  All  the  haughty  pride,  the  caprice,  the 
vanity,  the  artificiality  were  gone,  and  instead,  upon 
the  finely  chiselled  features  and  in  the  blue  eyes,  rested 
a  serene,  if  melancholy  beauty,  a  quiet  nobility  born 
of  suffering.  There  rushed  through  Calvert's  mind 
the  thought  that,  after  all,  that  loveliness  had  at  last 
developed  into  all  that  was  best  and  finest. 

He  stood  thus  looking  at  her  in  silence  and  thinking 
of  these  things,  and  then  he  went  slowly  forward, 
scarce  knowing  how  to  address  her  or  explain  his 
presence,  who  had  so  long  avoided  her. 

"  I  am  come,"  he  says,  at  length,  "  to  thank  you 
for  the  great  service  that  you  have  this  night  rendered 
me  and  those  other  gentlemen  engaged  with  myself 
in  the  King's  business.  I  dare  not  think  what  might 
have  been  the  fate  of  us  all  had  you  not  come  to  our 
assistance.  Were  they  here  they  would,  like  myself, 
thank  you  with  all  their  hearts." 

374 


THE  TENTH  OF  AUGUST 

:  Twas  no  great  service,"  she  says,  "  and  I  could 
scarce  have  done  less  for  one  who  has  done  so  much 
— who  has  sacrificed  so  much  for  me." 

"  I  have  sacrificed  nothing,"  says  Calvert,  in  a  low, 
compassionate  voice.  "  'Twas  you  who  sacrificed 
yourself,  and  all  in  vain !  Believe  me,  I  suffered  for 
you  in  that  knowledge.  I  should  not  have  let  you — 
I  should  have  found  a  way,  but  I  was  weak  and  ill 
and  scarcely  struggled  against  the  fate  that  gave  you 
to  me.  I  wish  that  'twere  as  easy  to  undo  the  evil  as 
for  you  to  forget  me." 

"  Forget  you !  I  wish  I  could  forget  you.  I  have 
thought  of  you  so  much  that  sometimes  I  wish  I 
could  forget  you  entirely.  But  I  think  'tis  out  of  my 
power  to  do  so  now.  I  think  I  should  have  to  be 
quite  dead — and  even  then  I  do  not  know — I  am 
not  sure — if  you  should  speak  to  me  I  think  I  would 
hear,"  she  says,  wildly,  and  covering  her  eyes  with 
her  hand. 

He  looked  at  the  dark-robed  figure,  the  dark  head 
bowed  on  the  heaving  breast,  and  suddenly  a  joy  such 
as  he  had  never  thought  to  feel  ran  through  his  veins. 
He  went  over  to  her,  and,  lifting  the  hand  from  the 
closed  eyes,  he  put  it  to  his  lips. 

"Adrienne,"  he  says,  tenderly  and  wonderingly, 
"  you  are  crying !  Why  ?  " 

"  I  am  crying  for  so  many  things !  For  joy  and 
despair  and  hope  and  dead  love,  because  this  means 
nothing  to  you  and  everything  to  me,  because  I  love 
you  and  you  love  me  not,  because  you  once  loved 
me — !  "  She  stopped  in  an  access  of  anguish  and, 

375 


CALVERT   OF   STRATHORE 

sobbing,  knelt  before  him.  The  humility  of  true  love 
had  at  last  mastered  her. 

"  Not  to  me — not  to  me,"  he  said,  unsteadily,  lift- 
ing her. 

"  And  why  not  to  you  ?  There  is  no  one  so  true,  no 
one  I  honor  so  much !  In  my  pride  and  ignorance 
I  thought  you  were  not  the  equal  of  these  fine  gen- 
tlemen who  have  abandoned  their  King  and  their 
country.  But  I  have  learned  to  know  you,  and  my 
own  heart,  and  what  I  have  thrown  away !  I  am  not 
ashamed  to  say  this — to  own  to  you  that  I  love  you." 
She  threw  back  her  head  and  looked  at  Calvert  with 
eyes  that  shone  with  a  sorrowful  light.  "  For  you 
once  told  me  that  you  loved  me,  and  though  I  know 
I  have  lost  that  love,  the  memory  that  I  once  had  it 
will  stay  with  me  and  be  my  pride  forever." 

"  Tis  yours  still,  believe  me,"  said  Calvert.  "  'Tis 
yours  now  and  forever — forever."  He  put  his  arm 
around  her  and  drew  her  to  him.  "  Far  or  near  I 
have  loved  you  since  the  first  day  I  saw  you,  but  I 
never  dreamed  that  you  would  come  to  care,  and  in  my 
pride  I  swore  I  would  never  tell  you  of  my  love  after 
that  day  in  the  garden  at  Azay." 

"  I  must  have  been  mad,  I  think,"  she  said,  won- 
deringly.  "  Mad  to  have  laughed  at  you — mad  to 
have  thrown  away  your  love.  Ah,  I  have  learned 
since  then ! " 

"  'Tis  like  a  miracle  that  you  should  have  come  to 
care  for  me,"  said  Calvert,  his  lips  upon  her  dark  hair. 

"  The  hour  you  left  me  I  knew  that  I  loved  you. 
Oh,  the  agony  of  that  knowledge  and  the  thought 

376 


THE  TENTH  OF  AUGUST 

that  I  would  never  see  you  again !  Even  then  my 
pride  would  not  let  me  tell  you — I  thought  you  would 
come  again — and  then — then  when  later  you  turned 
from  me — my  heart  broke,  I  think — 'twas  quite  numb 
— I  was  neither  sorry  nor  glad —  She  stopped  again. 

"  Are  you  glad  now,  Adrienne  ?  "  asked  Calvert, 
looking  at  her  tenderly. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  quietly. 

"  And  will  you  be  content  to  leave  this  France  of 
yours  and  come  with  me  to  America?  There  is  a 
home  waiting  for  you  there — 'tis  not  a  splendid  place 
like  those  you  know,  but  only  a  country  house  that 
stands  near  the  noblest  and  loveliest  river  of  the  land, 
upon  whose  banks  peace  and  happiness  dwell."  As 
he  spoke,  grim  sounds  of  tumult,  cannonading,  fierce 
cries,  and  hoarse  commands  came  to  them  from  the 
hot,  crowded  street  below,  but  they  did  not  heed  them 
— they  were  far  away  from  that  terrible,  doomed  city. 
Words  were  scarcely  needed — they  stood  there  soul 
to  soul,  alone  in  all  the  world,  and  happy. 

"  I  am  going  back  to  that  land  of  mine,  where  there 
is  work  for  me  to  do.  Will  you  not  go  with  me? 
There  is  nothing  more  we  can  do  here.  The  last 
chance  to  save  their  Majesties  is  gone.  Will  you 
leave  this  troubled,  fated  land  and  come  with  me  to 
that  other  one,  where  I  will  make  you  forget  the  hor- 
rors, the  sufferings  you  have  endured  in  this — where  I 
swear  I  will  make  you  happy?  Will  you  go  to  this 
America  of  mine?  "  he  asked. 

She  gazed  into  the  eyes  she  so  loved  and  trusted 
with  a  glance  as  serene  and  true  as  their  own. 

"  I  will  go,"  she  said. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAC  JTV 


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